Light Amongst Shadows
by Farr2rich
Summary: A boy and his friends embark on a dangerous journey, teeming with friendship, betrayal, conflicts, love, drama and revenge. Will they survive, or will darkness rule for all eternity?
1. The Plan

This is my first attempt at anything. I own nothing in this story, so read, hopefully enjoy, and get back to me.

The Plan

It comes back to him, in the deep night. Voices. A tingling sensation. But his strongest memory was of a glorious light. He remembered something about fulfilling a destiny, but then his mind went blank. After that he remembered plenty.

"Jak! You ok?"

The young teen snapped out of his musing and smiled at his best friend, Daxter. Although the two were the best of friends, there was nothing they had in common, except being total opposites. While Jak was tall, strong, brave, and had hair that stuck straight up, Daxter was short, smaller, had big buckteeth, and matted hair. He was also famous for being quite a coward. All the village girls liked Jak, throwing him looks and waves. They all wanted him to ask them out, but that was wishful thinking. No one had ever heard Jak say a single word, not even Samos, that mysterious sage who had appeared so suddenly. Jak fell back into his thinking about how he didn't remember anything before coming to the village.

"Jak? Buddy, you're starting to freak me out. Answer me! Or at least look like you're listening." Daxter, annoyed, started tapping Jak repeatedly. Jak snapped out of it for good this time and slapped his friend. They started wrestling, Daxter quickly giving up when Jak got him in a headlock.

"Sheesh Jak, how'd you get to be such a good fighter?"

Only silence and a shrug answered him, but Daxter had long accepted the fact that Jak was incapable of speech. They started up again, Daxter doing better now that he knew Jak would try the same thing again. Inevitably, Jak got Daxter into another hold and didn't let go until he heard a girl's voice call out "Knock it off, you two."

Jak let Daxter go and turned around to face her. Keira. By far she was the prettiest girl in the whole village. All those other girls were brainless, chasing after him only because they liked the way he looked. But Keira was different, smarter than those other girls were, smarter almost than her dad, Samos, the Sage of Green Eco was. He stared into her eyes, losing himself in those bright green orbs.

"Jak? Are you ok?"

"He's hopeless Keira, he's been staring off into space all day."

Jak smiled at his two friends and they decided to get some lunch, compliments of Samos.

"Hey there, Green stuff. Where's the eats?"

"Quiet Daxter! So you all just decided to barge into my hut, disrupt my concentration, and eat my food?" Samos said seeming to swell with anger, but they could all see his laughing eyes.

"Uh, pretty much."

"There's some food in the back." As Daxter and Keira made their way to the back for food, Jak stayed behind and watched Samos.

"How are you Jak," Samos asked, getting a shrug in reply. "At least you have nothing to worry about, no research, no studying to do, now that school is finished. What are you going to make out of yourself now?" Again, Jak shrugged, wondering himself. "Maybe you could help me Jak. I have spent my life searching for the answers that my father, and my father's fathers failed to find. Who were the Precursors? Why did they create the vast monoliths that litter our planet? How did they harness Eco, the life energy of the world? What was their purpose, and why did they vanish. I have asked the plants, but the plants do not remember. The plants have asked the rocks, but the rocks do not recall. Even the rocks do not recall. Every bone in body tells me that-"

"Jak, come in here and get some food before I finish it. Keira, I told you that I called the croca and cheese sandwich. Samos, just shut up, we've heard it before, we're hearing it now, and you'll probably tell us again later."

"Impudence!"

Jak, Daxter, and Keira all ran before he busted a blood vessel. Jak and Daxter went to go play on the beach and discuss sneaking over to Misty Island, the mysterious place Samos had forbidden them to step foot on. Keira finished her work on the heat shield for her latest creation, an Anti-gravity Zoomer. She washed up, and then went to see her friends, Lauren and Kristen. They were busy trying to think of ways to get Jak to notice them for what Keira thought was the millionth time. As soon as she entered, they ran over to her and started squealing at her.

"Oh my god Keira, they like you!" Lauren squealed.

"What are you going to do? Who are you going to choose?" Kristen exclaimed.

"What do you mean? She'll choose Jak!" Lauren said.

Keira was beyond confused. "What are you two talking about?"

"They like you silly. Jak and Daxter. You haven't noticed?" Lauren questioned.

"They don't like me, what are you talking about?"

Kristen took over. "Daxter's always looking at you when you're not looking. Well, mostly at your butt, I don't think I've ever seen him look at anything else. But Jak stares at you. I catch him looking at you all the time. He stares at your back, your hair, and you can't tell me he wasn't looking right into your eyes."

Keira thought back to the beach, and remembered the look in Jak's eyes. She blushed and looked away from her friends.

Lauren noticed her blush and pounced. "Ah ha! I knew it. You like him too. What are you going to do now?"

"I, I don't know. Should I play hard to get or flirt with him a little?"

Lauren and Kristen said in stereo, "Flirt!"

Lauren took over, "We're not saying you have to seduce him or anything, just give him a look every now and then, you know, get close up to him and lean against him."

Kristen piped up. "Yea, if you really want to, why don't you try batting your eyes at him or bending over and letting him see your butt?"

Keira went from pink to red, partially with anger. "Kristen! What do you take me for? I like Jak yea, but I'm not going to bend over for him and let him stare at my ass!"

Kristen burst out laughing, "Calm down, I was kidding."

Keira relaxed, but began to think about they had said. To buy some time, she turned to Lauren, "I heard Daxter asked you out last night. How did he do it? Did you say yes?"

Lauren snorted. "How? He came right up to me last night and said 'Hey baby, I've seen you looking at me all those times. Whaddya say you and me go for a little walk on the beach tomorrow?' I turned him down, but I hope I wasn't too harsh on him."

Keira giggled, "He thinks we all look at him, I don't know what kind of Eco he's been drinking, but those times he caught me looking, I was looking at Jak. Do you remember that time Daxter caught us looking at Jak while he was bathing?"

"Oh yea, and we had to tell him we were looking for that escaped Croca-dog," Lauren giggled.

"Keira, time for bed." They heard Samos calling her for bed.

"I got to go, but I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Sure, if your not too 'busy' with Jak, if you no what I mean" Kristen laughed, getting the reaction she desired; a blush from Keira and Lauren's laughter.

Off in the distance, Jak and Daxter had finished their plans. "Ok Jak, we meet back here at four a.m., take the fisherman's boat, and set off for Misty Island. We snoop around, and then come back here and get into bed before anyone realizes we're gone. Sound good?" Jak nodded, since it had been his plan mostly. "Ok, I'll see you tomorrow Jak." Daxter said with a wink, as he made off for his house, leaving Jak at his uncle's front door.

"Good night Jak." His British uncle said, getting a yawn and a nod from his nephew.

At four a.m., they met and took the boat, speeding towards Misty Island, and a new adventure. But what they didn't know was a mysterious man was watching them from afar. "Good. Good. The wheels are set into motion, and soon, all that I have seen, will come to be." A mysterious voice said, leaving any witnesses, if there were any, left in confusion.

So, was it as bad as I think it is. Flames will be used to roast my marsmallows, while criticism will be used. Thanks.


	2. Journey to Misty Island

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story, but if you steal this story I will guarantee that you will regret it. That being said, enjoy.

Sushi-chan1363: Thanks for the vote of confidence. I thought no one liked my work. I hope I can live up to your expectations and continue writing as you think I should.

Krin: I added Keira's friends for a reason, thats not the last time that you'll see them. Also, Keira (while being incredibly intelligent) is still a girl, and not every girl in that village is going to be as smart as she is. That being said, I only pasted what my friend wrote, since I have no clue what girls do when they are alone, I asked her to write that part for me and she was happy to oblige. Thank you for your point of view, and I'll try not to make them so giggly in the future.

VinnyRoxyFrankie: Thank you for the compliment. I noticed that no one seemed to write about the first Jak and Daxter, so I figured I might give it a try. I will, don't worry.

* * *

Journey to Misty Island

"Hey! Uh, Jak? Old Green Stuff told us not to come here," Daxter said.

Jak gave him a look that plainly said "this was your idea in the first place."

"Well, yea, but I started changing my mind when I saw how creepy this place really is." Jak ignored him and started walking away. "And plus I got a date with that hot chick Lauren, she can't keep her hands off me, and I'm just looking out for you old buddy, shed kill you if anything happened to me." Daxter continued, oblivious to the fact that he was talking to himself. "Jak? Hey! Wait for me!"

After about five minutes, Daxter finally caught up with Jak, tripping at the last moment and falling face first on a rock. Jak shushed him, and they both climbed up the boulder, until they reached the top and peered into the clearing in front of them. "Look Jak, Lurkers. Hundreds of 'em." Jak nodded and made a note to tell Samos. Even though he would undoubtedly be angry with them for disobeying them, Lurkers anywhere near the village might mean another attack, like that one two years ago.

He had been laying on the beach when Daxter had come in, screaming about Lurkers in the village. He, Samos and a warrior visiting from Rock Village had led the attack. The warrior quickly started cutting the Lurkers with his sword, while Samos used blasts of Green Eco to send them flying back, and once in a while would use his power to sap the life right out of them. Jak remembered taking down a dozen Lurkers with his bare hands before one of them threw him through a wall. He remembered seeing a bottle of Red Eco, and wondered if he could use it. He tried to get to Samos, but before he could, a Lurker smashed it out of his hands and drenched him. Instead of melting, as Samos had warned would happen to any that touched concentrated Eco, he was amazed to see it seep into his skin. He felt stronger than he had ever felt before, strong enough to put twelve Lurkers out of commission with a single punch. With his newfound strength, the village drove the Lurkers away, and they had seen neither hide nor hair of them. After that, Samos had begun seeing just how powerful Jak's abilities were, placing him near Eco and teaching him how to control it. Although Samos was a master of Green Eco, Jak did learn how to use the basics of the other three; Blue, Red and Yellow.

Now it appeared the Lurkers were readying for another attack. Jak paid close attention to anything that could help him inform Samos of the Lurkers' next move. Suddenly, an old man and a young woman appeared out of thin air. The man looked incredibly wise, but there was something else in his eyes, an insane glint. The woman looked like she had once been very beautiful, but her looks were diminished somewhat, due to the fact that her shin was pale gray and she had black hair much like her partners, though longer. Any remains of beauty she might have had were driven out by the same look in her eyes, an inexplicable hatred for all living things.

The old man opened his mouth and spoke in a raspy voice. "Continue your search for artifacts and Eco." He paused and took a deep breath, then continued, "If the locals possess Precursor items, you know what to do." The instant he had spoken, all the Lurkers had stood at attention.

The woman now spoke, in a harsh voice that contained hatred for everything. "Deal harshly with anybody who strays from the village. We will attack it in due time."

Jak and Daxter looked at each other and with a nod, turned around and started climbing back down the mountain. Daxter slipped and some pebbles fell to the ground. Unaware that a Lurker had heard and was following them, they continued down the mountain and then started running as fast as they could, trying to get back to the boat to warn the village of the inevitable attack. They took a wrong turn and wound up on a platform with a giant pool. Curiosity got the better of Jak and he journeyed over to the pool, shuddering when he saw the liquid inside: a thick, gluttonous fluid that seemed to swirl and mix around under his gaze.

"What are we doin' here anyway, Jak? This place gives me the creeps." Daxter exclaimed from behind him, tripping on something. Jak turned around and chuckled at the sight of his friend on the floor, his limbs sprawled out. Daxter got up and turned around and saw what he had tripped over, a hunk of Precursor metal. "Huh? Oh, stupid Precursor junks!" He picked up the object and examined it. It seemed to be a cylinder-looking object with strange markings covering it. Daxter walked over to Jak, who was still staring into the pit of dark liquid, trying to figure out what it was. Daxter leaned over and peered into the vat of dark liquid. "Eech! What is that dark ooze? It sure don't look friendly." Daxter turned around and started dusting the metal off, while still talking. "The sage yaps on and on about the Precursors who built this place all the time. Imitating Samos' old voice, he continued 'Where did they go? Why did they build this crap?' Now, I like Precursor Orbs and Power Cells as much as the next guy, but if you ask me? They must have been real losers." Jak listened while commenting inside his head.

"Yea, Daxter, the Precursors must have been losers even though they had a highly advanced civilization that prospered for untold years, thriving with the planet's Eco as a power- source. And here we are on a dangerous island for no real reason. Bravo." Daxter, seeing the distracted look in Jak's eyes, playfully chucked the item at Jak, who caught it. He almost dropped it when he saw the strange markings glow bright red as soon as his hands touched it.

Daxter saw the hunk of metal and was amazed. "Wow! How did ya do that?" Jak shrugged in bewilderment, but was spared having to listen to more of Daxter's voice by seeing a Lurker sneaking up behind him. He grabbed Daxter and dived to the ground, making the swing that would have severed Daxter's head from his body leave a three-inch crater in the ground. Jak ran at the Lurker and made to punch it right in the face, but the Lurker dodged and sent Jak punching the wall behind him. The Lurker charged again and Jak's instincts told him to throw the metal. Jak hurled the cylinder with all his might and the instant it made contact with the Lurker it exploded, sending Jak flying back into Daxter, who toppled over the edge and fell screaming into the vat of dark ooze. Now that the threat of the Lurker had vanished, Jak turned around and stared desperately into the liquid, praying for some sign that his friend was still alive. His prayers were answered as Daxter's voice was heard emanating from an orange blob that was shot out of the ooze. It shot passed Jak, who breathed a sigh of relief. He turned around, expecting to see his friend. He was instead greeted by a very wrong image. A two-foot tall fuzzy rodent was dusting himself off and standing up.

"Man, that stung! I told ya we shouldn't have come here, and if you had listened!" the rodent spoke with a voice that sounded exactly like Daxter's. Daxter turned around and looked at Jak who was staring at him, one of his eyebrows twitching. "Whaaaaaat?" Daxter asked, raising his arms. As he did so, he caught a glimpse of his hand. Or at least, the paw that was now where his hand used to be. Daxter's pupils shrank, and his mouth sagged. After the initial shock he did what was expected of him. He jumped up and grabbed Jak's chest screaming at the top of his lungs. After a minute he jumped down and said "Ok, ok. I'm fine, I'm fine." He looked down and saw he now had a tail. He grabbed Jak's shoulders again and once more prepared to scream, except Jak covered his mouth and started running as fast as he could toward the boat, without a doubt Lurkers had heard Daxter and were now on their way. As they made it onto the boat Jak sighed and thought about all that the had to explain to Samos. First there was the fact that they had knowingly disobeyed him, then there were those two people... Jak got chills as he remembered the look in their eyes, that madness. After he explained all that, Daxter would undoubtedly want to know how to change back into his old self. Jak sighed again and figured that he may as well get some sleep while the boat made its way to shore, it was bound to be a long day.

* * *

The same mysterious figure had not moved all night. He had been carefully observing Jak and Daxter from his watchtower stationed on Sentinal Beach. "Good job Daxter. Now, we will see if what was predicted all those years ago will really come to pass."

* * *

Well, here's the second chapter in my story. I hope that it lives up to your expectations and isn't as bad as I think it is. Read and review please. And don't forget, if you have any tips, suggestions, or criticism for me, I will gladly accept it. Flames are still being used to roast marsmallows. 


	3. The Journey Begins

Sushi-chan1363- Thanks for the compliment, it's nice to feel like I have a fan. And, to be honest, I think you are the only one who has actually read more than the first chapter. Or at least you're the only one who reviewed. Thank you for continuing to comment on my work and I can only hope you enjoy reading my work as much as I enjoy writing it. And I just put in what I thought Jak might be thinking; I never liked the fact that Jak never talked in the first game, so I decided that we would be able to hear his thoughts. Here's the next chapter, I hope you like it as much as the first two. And as much as I like praise, if you find anything that you think is off, let me know and I will rectify it in future chapters.

* * *

The Journey Begins

It was morning by the time Jak and Daxter arrived at the village. They parked the boat and made their way up the dock. They then made their way through the village, trying to get to Samos' hut without being noticed. Their efforts were foiled however, as many of the villagers, while used to seeing Jak, were not used to seeing him with what appeared to be an orange rat sitting on his shoulder, sulking. Jak was quickly surrounded by a large crowd, all prodding and poking Daxter, wondering why it sounded like the village idiot. Daxter tried to explain, but people kept stopping him by picking him up and examining him. Finally, he managed to wriggle loose of whoever was holding him, and crawled back to Jak's shoulder. "Jak, get out of here, if this keeps up, I'll look like crap when Samos turns me back."

Jak nodded and jumped on top of the fisherman's nearby hut. He then started jumping from house to house, until he was on the outskirts of the village. He then snuck around the side of the mountain next to the village, and when no one was looking, he darted out of the shadows he was hiding in and ran across the bridge separating Samos from the rest of the village. He took the sling he had around his back off and saw Daxter was sleeping. Putting Daxter down on the ground, Jak thanked the Precursors that Daxter was still the same inside, even of he had changed into this... thing. Jak had heard awful stories about those that were unfortunate enough to come into contact with Dark Eco. From what he had heard, if you were killed instantly, you were lucky enough to suffer what was thought a virtually painless death. Sighing, he didn't want to go to see Samos without Daxter, but he didn't want to wake his friend up either; he had been through a lot in the past day. Jak wandered into the garage under Samos' hut, and looked around to see if Keira was up. After gazing longingly at the A-Grav Zoomer Keira was improving, he looked around to see if he could find her. He turned around just before going deeper into the house to take a last look at the Zoomer. Although he didn't know why, Jak had always loved riding it, there was something about it that seemed familiar. He was also quite a good pilot; not even Keira herself could beat Jak when it came to flying.

Jak went into the living room and looked around. He saw the couch and a couple of books not concerning machines on the bookshelves. He went over to Keira's desk, looking at the sheets of blueprints for the Zoomer that he so loved riding. From the very small parts that he could understand, it appeared that Keira was not only giving the Zoomer a heat shield, but she saw installing new stabilizers that would allow him to pilot the Zoomer even when upside down. Grinning at the thought of the new tricks he would be able to do, Jak noticed an open door and went into Keira's bedroom. With the light seeping through the open window, Jak could see Keira's face as she slept. Jak glanced at her and turned away. Just as he was heading out the door, he stopped and turned around. Jak looked at Keira again, and this time he didn't look away. He had always liked looking at her; but he had never known why. As he stared at Keira, he couldn't help but feel happy, even with the knowledge of the verbal abuse he was sure to get from Samos. Quietly, so as not to wake her, Jak exited the garage and made his way to Daxter to see if he was awake yet.

"Ah-ha! I know you Jak, I knew you would spy on Keira while she was sleeping. So, what did you see? C'mon Jak, tell me everything, and don't skip on the details." Jak rolled his eyes and picked Daxter up off the ground. They made their way up the ramp, and peered into Samos' hut. Samos appeared to be meditating, with his arms folded and levitating two feet off the ground. Daxter tried to sneak in; now that the time had come, he didn't really want to disturb Samos because he knew this time he was in real trouble. As Daxter stepped inside, one of his paws landed on a squeaky board. Instantly, Samos' eyes flew open, he turned around, looked upon the scene, and instantly knew what had happened. "What in green tarnation do you two want?" He asked, looking angry.

"We- we- we was...! I-I was...!" Daxter stammered, but before he could continue, Samos cut him off.

"Don't tell me! Instead of heeding my wisdom, the two of you went mucking around in the only place that I told you not to go: Misty Island!" Samos exclaimed, pointing out his window at the foreboding and formerly forbidden island.

"That's right! And then we..." Daxter tried to continue, but was once again cut off by Samos.

"And, Daxter, you finally took a much-needed bath. But in a bathtub filled... with Dark Eco!" Samos said, not wanting to miss an opportunity to insult the former elf.

Daxter glared at Samos, and shouted, "Look, old man! Are you gonna keep yappin', or are you gonna help me outta this mess!"

"I'm gonna keep yappin'! Because, in my professional opinion, the change is an improvement. And besides... I couldn't help you if I wanted to." Samos replied.

"What!" Daxter disbelievingly said. No matter how much he made fun of the old fart, Daxter never had a doubt that Samos would be able to revert him back to what he used to be. Jak too was in awe. He had seen Samos to incredible things, such as restore life to a dead child, levitate, and even suck the Green Eco out of Lurkers. Admittedly, restoring the life of the baby, had drained Samos for an entire day, but he had thought that if anyone had even a chance at changing his best friend back, it was Samos the Sage. Shaking his head, Jak paid attention to what Samos was saying.

"There is only one person who has studied Dark Eco long enough to have a chance at returning you to your previous form. Gol Akaron, the sage. But he lives far to the north. Far, far to the north! Nobody has spoken to him for ages. I would teleport you there, but I can't do that either. None of the sages that maintain the other teleporter gates have seen fit to turn their ends on for quite awhile." Samos explained, gesturing to a mountain far in the distance.

"Most likely because of your infectious personality, Samos." Jak couldn't help but think; for all his wisdom, Jak did think Samos was a bit hard on himself and Daxter from time to time.

"The only other way north is by foot on the Fire Canyon. But, its volcanic soil is hot enough to melt Precursor metal. You can't just walk through it!" Samos continued.

"But you could fly over it! If you had a Zoomer equipped with a heat shield... I just happen to be working on that very thing this moment. All I would need was 20 Power Cells to give it enough energy to withstand the canyon's heat. Isn't that right, Daddy?" Keira had heard enough of this conversation to know what had happened, her father had woken her up by shouting at the two when they first entered the hut. Keira walked into the house, noticing that what Kristin had said was true: Daxter was staring right at her chest, while Jak was looking hr straight in the ace. Resisting the urge to blush; Jak's stare made her feel light-headed, Keira continued walking, ignoring Daxter's pitiful attempt to impress her with his now totally nonexistent muscles.

"Yes, Keira, that might work. But where are a boy" he pointed his staff at Jak "and a half" pointing to Daxter in the same way, except this time he took his time to rap Daxter on the head "going to get 20 Power Cells?"

"From the villagers! Most of them have a Power Cell or two stashed away somewhere. And even if they aren't willing to just give them away, greasing their palms with a few Precursor Orbs should do the trick. And I bet there are even more of them out in the wilds, just waiting for some brave adventurer to find." Keira replied, leaning against Jak and batting her eyelashes at him. Jak blushed and smiled back at her. Daxter, however, did not like the fact that Keira was flirting with Jak. He tried to distract her from Jak the only way he knew how: talking.

"Well, we've got the brave adventurer, at least." Daxter said proudly, pointing at his chest.

"Brave adventurer? You two couldn't find your way out of the village without training! Before you do anything else, you better go through the warp gate and get some practice on Geyser Rock. I'll give you four Power Cells if you can manage to find all fifty of my Precursor Orbs that I have hidden there." Samos replied, sarcasm practically dripping out of his mouth.

Daxter had had enough of Samos' abuse, and had decided to respond with an insult of his own; it had been a good five minutes since he had pissed Samos off anyway, he couldn't go much longer. "Uh, we won't find anymore of that dark, gooey Eco stuff, will we? 'Cause I'd hate to fall in again and turn into you!"

"Get in there before I turn you both into ferns!" Samos bellowed, pointing at his portal. Jak and Daxter jumped in, only to emerge five minutes later with all the Orbs that Samos had mentioned. "Good training, boys. Here are the Power Cells that I promised you. But that's nothing compared to the challenges that lie ahead!"

"Aaaah, they're noooo problem! We got the moves, eh Jak? We'd love to stay and chat, Big Green, but we're uh, itching to get on with our adventures." Daxter said, gesturing to Jak that they should start moving.

"Fine, fine. "Adventure" away then. And while you're out "adventuring", why don't you make yourself useful? My darn Green Eco collectors are clogged up again. Head out to the far side of the beach and clear them out, why don't you? Follow the lamps. They'll take you right there. Now... all of you... GET OUT OF HERE!" Samos said, seeming to shake his entire house with that last statement.

Jak, Keira and Daxter made their way to her garage, and sat down. Keira really wanted to be with Jak, but Daxter was there and she knew he would ruin everything. Suddenly having an idea, she told Daxter to go to the village to look for Power Cells and Orbs lying around. Daxter, though suspicious, did as Keira asked him. As soon as he was gone, Keira stood up. "Well Jak, I'm getting a drink, would you like one?" Jak nodded and couldn't help but smile and look at her back as she got a drink. As she made her way back, Keira decided to swing her hips a little more than she usually did, just to see if she got a reaction from Jak. To her delight, he did glance down at her hips before his eyes went back to hers. Keira gave him his drink and then sat down right next to him and leaned on his shoulder, sighing as she thought how nice it felt to lean on him. Even through their clothes, she could feel Jak's muscles, and she was happy that he was so strong.

Jak was confused, but pleased at the same time. When Keira leaned on him and let out a sigh of what seemed to be content, he couldn't help but feel a rush of pride when he heard it. It made him happy to know he made Keira feel happy. Looking down at her, he stared into her beautiful eyes and smiled. She smiled back, before closing her eyes and falling asleep. She was exhausted, and with good reason; she had been up until three in the mourning drawing the blueprints for the Zoomer. Jak picked her up and laid her down in her bed. Keira stirred when he picked her up, but kept silent. She noticed how strong he was, he could lift her up with seemingly no effort whatsoever. Jak went back outside and saw Daxter waiting for him. Daxter quickly started boasting about how he had fought off a giant raccoon for the three Power Cells he had found under a house. While he had seen Jak coming out of the house, he decided for once not to comment.

"C'mon Jak lets go see those Eco Collectors old log-in-the-head was yapping about" Daxter exclaimed. Jak nodded and bent down so Daxter could scramble up onto his shoulder. They made their way to Sentinel Beach, keeping a lookout for Lurkers, especially now that they knew the Lurkers were planning on attacking the village. As they made their way towards the Eco Collectors, Jak took care of seventeen Lurker Scouts, a new record in one day. He made a mental note to inform Samos later, they had both forgotten completely to tell him about the impending Lurker assault. From the looks of things, it would happen within days; there had never been such a high concentration of Lurkers on the beach before.

Jak finally stopped walking about a half-hour later and stared up at the Eco Collectors. Samos was right, there was something clogging up the vents. Jak looked at the Collectors, remembering how much time he had spent here, training with Eco. Jak walked up to the holes where the Eco flowed from and noticed a boulder covering each hole. Jak sighed, he hadn't been expecting to have to move a boulder. He pushed with all his strength against one and after twenty minutes finally budged one. He stepped into the vent and felt the restorative powers of Green Eco wash over his body. He grinned, now that he was full with Eco, it wouldn't take him long to move the other boulders. With his restored strength, Jak cleared the other vents within ten minutes and started heading back to Sandover.

Jak entered Samos' hut about four o' clock. Samos heard him and turned away from the telescope he had been looking through. "Oh, it's the conquering heroes. Good! I wanted to talk with you two about something serious! There appears to be quite a lot of Lurker activity on Misty Island. I can see them bombarding the Precursor Silo from my lookout tower! If the Lurkers open it up and release the Dark Eco, we could all end up running around looking as ridiculous as this annoying little specimen! Jak, it's time for you to prove your worth. Get the Fisherman to let you take his boat back to Misty Island, get to the top of the Precursor Silo, and take out that cannon! This is no longer about a single boy gone fuzzy. This is about life as we know it. Now get out there and fulfill your destiny!"

Jak and Daxter exchanged a confused look. Jak was baffled, he had known never heard Samos tell him anything about a destiny. Jak shrugged and started to go out when he noticed Daxter was staring at Samos. "Yes, Daxter what do you want, I already told Jak what to do."

"And... what about me?"

"You? Why don't you mop my floors? They seem to have lost their shine lately!" Jak smirked at Samos insulting Daxter yet again. He walked over and picked Daxter up before he could retort and be changed into something much worse. They went to the fisherman's house and saw him crying.

"Hey tubby, what's shaking. Other than your stomach, that is. Can we borrow your boat? We need to go back to Misty Island so we can stop Lurkers from turning everyone into me."

"I would, except some little rat before took the Power Cell that powers it. If you can power it up again, you're more than welcome to use it." Jak nodded his thanks and went outside. Once at the boat, he gave Daxter a look that plainly said "did you steal the Power Cell from the boat?"

"What. No, no, no. What? Ok, I found it lying on the dock and so I took it." With that, Jak jumped into the boat and set course for Misty Island. As his hair was blown about by the wind, Jak took a deep sniff of the salt air, and looked ahead to Misty Island, and his new adventure.

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Well, chapter three is finally up. I hope it was worth the time you took to read it. Please review, as I will be pleased with any help you can provide me with, and will be flattered with any compliments I receive. Flames will be used to, actually, I'm just going to ignore any flames I receive from now on. 


	4. Return to Misty Island

Sushi-chan1363- Thanks again for the compliment, but I read your story, and mine pales in comparision. I try to make the Jak and Keira moments last, because I don't like the whole Jak and Ashelin thing thats going on. Well, sorry it took so long, I won't be updating as often, but hopefully I'll get in one update a week.

Red Mage 04- Hopefully, I can fill you in on the first game. The training level was left blank so you could imagine what happened. Hopefully you'll enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoy your writing.

Disclaimer: I know that I've said this before, but I don't own Jak. (not so much the name as the expression)

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Return to Misty Island

Jak and Daxter quietly crept off the boat and made their way down the dock at Misty Island. Jak quickly scanned the area looking for any Lurkers. Relieved, he started walking around. In the distance, Jak could hear the sound of a cannon, just as Samos had said. Jak looked up and saw it was going to start raining. Sighing, he decided if he should go into a cave somewhere and wait it out, or go on. Staying in a cave would make it easier to get around, but on the other hand, if he were discovered, it would be easy to overwhelm him in a cave. If he went out and explored now, he would be able to use the infrared goggles Keira had given him, as well as see if the Eco Detector she had recently installed in them was working. Noticing Daxter had once again fallen asleep, Jak poked him with his hand over his mouth so Daxter wouldn't attract any unwanted attention. Daxter's eyes opened and he saw Jak pointing up at the sky and them motioning the mountain. Jak the put his finger to his lips and then pointed at the boat. Although Daxter was not accused of being intelligent, he knew enough to know Jak was saying "it's going to rain, I'm going to climb the mountain anyway. I want you to keep quiet and wait in the boat until I return."

Daxter shook his head and pried Jak's hand away from his mouth. "No way Jak. You and I are a team, and there's no way I'm going to let you go off on some damned foolish adventure and get yourself killed. Not without me at least," Daxter whispered. Jak nodded and then pulled his goggles over his eyes. He walk over to the mountain and started climbing. Jak prayed to the Precursors that he didn't cause a rockslide or any other kind of commotion. Once he took out the cannon, he was going to alert every Lurker on the island to his presence and would have to fight his way back to the boat. As he climbed, he noticed an Eco Alert going off on his goggles. Jak pushed a button above his left ear and scanned the area. Following his goggles, Jak walked into a cave that had a Blue Eco vent in the middle. Jak grinned; with the power of Blue Eco enhancing his speed, he would be able to reach the peak of the mountain in a little over half an hour. Jak walked over and stepped into the vent, feeling the power of the Eco flow through his body and enhancing his muscles. As his body started to relax, Jak heard a stone scatter and hit a wall. Jak stood still and closed his eyes, trying to pinpoint the sound. He heard a creature breathing, it sounded about fifty feet away, coming towards him from behind and the left. Jak waited for the creature to get within five feet. He noticed this Lurker was one of the more clever ones, usually they rushed right at their enemy. Jak smirked, had he been a little more unaware of his surroundings, he would have been easy prey.

He listened, and heard the Lurker stopped. He counted down from three. As he hit one, he leaped straight up into the air and landed right on the Lurker's head. He heard a sickening crunch and looked down. He saw the Lurker Scout lying dead with a bleeding, cracked skull. He went back to the Eco vent to charge up and then jumped up to the ceiling and pulled a rock off the ceiling. He dropped it on the Lurker and hoped it looked like an accident. He left the cave and continued climbing the mountain. After fifteen minutes, Jak heard a Lurker shriek in the distance that could only mean one thing; someone had found the Lurker and knew it was an outsider's handiwork. Looking down, he saw at least thirty Lurkers swarming up the mountain. Daxter shrieked and urged Jak to climb faster. As Jak reached the top of the mountain, he looked for a place to hide. To his left, he saw a Precursor door. He opened it with the small amount of Blue Eco left in his body and hurled himself in.

Standing up, Jak took in his surroundings. He saw he was in a stadium type room with a large door on the floor. The door was sealed shut, but had numerous blast marks on it. Jak looked up and saw a cannon. With a jolt of horror, Jak realized he had landed on a Precursor Dark Eco Silo. Suddenly, Jak became aware of scuttling sounds behind him. Turning around, he saw at least forty Lurkers climbing over the walls to get to him. As he prepared for battle, Jak thanked the Precursors that there were so many Lurkers, the cannon wouldn't be able to fire for fear of hitting one of its brethren. "It's an ambush Jak! It's an ambush!" Daxter shrieked as he threw himself into the backpack on Jak's back. Jak quickly took stock of the situation. He was alone against twenty-seven Scouts, thirteen Generals, and seven Worms. He was without Eco, and even if he managed to take out any Lurkers, as soon as the cannon had enough room, it would start firing at him again.

Jak smiled, but there was no trace of happiness on his face. If he went down, he was determined to make sure these Lurkers remembered him as a great fighter. As three Scouts attacked at once from different directions, Jak leaped into the air, spinning and kicking at the same time. All three fell to the ground, hugging broken ribs. As he landed, Jak rolled into a somersault and launched himself at a Worm. His shoulder slammed into its chest, and he heard it gasp for breath. Jak grabbed the tail and swung it around, sending the two Scouts and a General that had been foolish enough to charge him flying over the coliseum wall. As he swung the Worm, Jak guessed the other Lurkers would be smart enough to stay away from him as he swung the Worm, so he slammed the Worm into the ground, severing its spine. The Generals, now aware that their prey would not be as effortless to conquer as they had originally surmised, ordered their troops to surround Jak. Jak's goggles suddenly alerted him to the presence of Red Eco. Spinning around to find it, Jak couldn't see it through it through his goggles. Taking them off, Jak spotted the Eco blob floating behind the ring of Lurkers. Jak grinned, he had forgotten that each General had Red Eco encased in its armor. When he had shattered the chest of that one before with the Worm, he must have caused the Eco to spill out. Jak's grin quickly faded, in order to get to the Eco, he would have to fight his way through twenty Lurkers first, which were no longer underestimating his strength. Jak sighed and decided he would throw Daxter over the wall to safety. Just because Jak had to die didn't mean that his best friend had to as well. Jak put his hand behind his back, only to find that Daxter was missing. Panicking, Jak scanned the area for his friend, but could find no sign of him. The Lurkers noticed his distraction, and decided to strike. Jak quickly did a back flip, causing two Worms to become entangled. As he landed, Jak kicked out his legs, taking out two more Scouts. As his feet touched the ground, he dropped down and tripped a General. As it started to fall, Jak rose up and delivered a sidekick right to its ribs, causing the rib cage to shatter. Jak grabbed the Red Eco that had flowed out of the broken armor, and smiled; now he had the power to win this battle. Jak ran right at a trio of Worms, who were unprepared for what they considered to be a suicidal attack. As they charged, they found out what a bowling pin felt like after getting run over by a steamroller. As they fell, Jak rammed his shoulder into a Scout who knocked out two more as it went flying backwards. Jak continued mowing down Scouts; seven more had fallen before he felt the power of the Red Eco leave his body. Three Worms, who had been waiting for the opportunity, slithered out of the shadows and wrapped their bodies around Jak. He couldn't breathe, and was certain he heard a rib or two cracking. He wondered if Daxter would ever regain his old appearance, and if he would ever successfully ask Keira out. Just before he passed out from lack of air, Keira's smiling face surfaced in his mind. Jak's eyes snapped open: he would _not_ fall to these monsters. He had to survive, he had to see Keira again, he had to hear her voice. Suddenly, Jak felt his body rippling with power. "Hey buddy, you looked like you could use a boost," a familiar voice said. Jak looked to his left, and there, sitting on his shoulder, was Daxter, wearing the biggest grin Jak had ever seen on his face. Jak grinned back, and then started forcing his arms away from his body. He grabbed all three Worms and started spinning them around his body again. As he spun, he released the Worms one at a time, so that they all went flying off in different directions. The worms bowled over a total of four Scouts and three Generals. Jak jumped ten feet into the air, and brought his feet down on a General's skull. As the body smashed into the ground, Jak caught its club. Jak turned around and hurled the club like a boomerang and was rewarded with the sight of half of the remaining Scouts falling. As luck would have it, the club impaled itself into another General, piercing its chest and pinning it to a wall. Jak ignored his injuries and picked up a General by its chest and then slammed it into the ground. Jak kept hold of the body and jumped into the air, launching the now unresisting body at the remaining Scouts. The remaining five Generals fell to Jak's incredible strength and martial arts talent with another minute.

Jak sighed, now that his adrenaline rush had worn off, he was exhausted. Jak's ears picked up the sound of something landing behind him. Spinning around, he saw nothing, but then he smelled smoke and looked down. Jak's eyes widened as he realized that in the heat of the battle, he had completely forgotten about the cannons, and was about to pay for it dearly. He grabbed Daxter and pulled him into a protective hug as he leapt away. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough, and the bomb exploded too close to Jak. Jak was catapulted over the stadium walls, fell twenty feet, and crashed into the side if the mountain. He slid down, and fell two feet before landing on solid Precursor metal. Wearily, ignoring his protesting body, Jak rose to his feet and opened his eyes. Two wonderful sights met his eyes; a cache six Power Cells and a sorely needed Green Eco vent. Jak collapsed, as his legs no longer had the strength to support him. He crawled over to the vent, and let its restorative powers wash over him. Jak felt his injuries and fatigue leaving, as his strength returned. As Jak collected the Power Cells, Daxter noticed that they had been here before, this was where he had fallen into the vat pf Dark Eco and wound up as he was. He yelped and scampered to Jak. "Jak, if you bring me within ten feet of that pool of gooey Eco again, I will personally guarantee that you and Keira a never have kids." Daxter growled. Jak just shook his head, he had absolutely no idea what Daxter was talking about, but as his mind settled on Keira, all his worries and anxieties about his mission melted away. Jak remembered how clearly her face had appeared in his mind when he was about to die. Jak was confused, why did he become so powerful with his desire to be with her again? Shaking his head, Jak remembered he had somehow channeled Red Eco without going near any, a definite first for him. He threw Daxter a look that plainly asked how he had managed that feat, and Daxter replied, "Well, I saw that you were in a jam, so I decided to help you out. I carried the Red Eco to you, and then you absorbed it." Jak nodded his thanks, and thanked the Precursors that Daxter had been there. Jak noticed a staircase, following it with his eyes, he saw it led straight to the cannons. Jak smiled and started climbing.

Five minutes, Jak reached the summit. He looked around, and saw there were four cannons firing on the Silos. Jak prayed no Lurkers were around or spotted him as he crept towards the Lurker manning the nearest cannon. He covered the mouth of the Lurker and snapped its neck. Jak realized it would be easier to simply use this cannon to destroy the others than attacking them one at a time. Jak carefully aimed at the cannon to his left and fired. He was rewarded with the sight of the cannon exploding. He repeated the process for the cannon opposite him. As he aimed at the cannon to his right, Jak noticed a bomb heading for him. Jak quickly aimed, fired, and then jumped backwards and rolled away from the mighty explosion that soon rocked the mountaintop. Jak stood up and looked with satisfaction at the mess he had made. He sent Daxter to find the Power Cells that were in the three other cannons after finding the one in the cannon he was manning. Daxter complied without arguing when he remembered all Jak had done so far to help him out. While Daxter was out looking for the Power Cells, Jak sat down and rested. Just as Daxter returned, Jak's communicator, yet another nifty and useful invention Keira had given him, went off. Jak took it out and pressed a button to turn it on. "Good job boys! Now that the Lurkers can't use their cannons to open the Silos, they can't flood the world with Dark Eco, and cause untold damage. Wipe that ridiculous grin off your face Daxter, because I no your grinning like an idiot." Daxter frowned at his and turned around, his nose high in the air. "Anyway, don't come back to Sandover yet boys, Keira wants to talk to you."

"Hey guys," Keira's light, bubbly voice came over the communicator.

"Hey baby. Too bad you weren't here. I took out fifty Lurkers single-handed. S, what do you think of me now baby?" Daxter exclaimed as he grabbed the communicator. He began giving Keira a play-by-play report of how "he" had defeated the Lurkers. Jak rolled his eyes.

"That's awesome Daxter! But why did it look like that was what Jak did when I watched the fight through daddy's telescope?" Keira replied, sarcasm practically oozing out of the communicator. Jak smirked as Daxter was shot down for the second time that day. "Jak," at this point, Jak started paying attention to what Keira was saying, rather than just listening to what he considered to be the music that was her voice. "I figured out hoe to use the Precursor Trans-Pads to teleport our Zoomer. There's one on Misty Island, by the black lake. I want you to take out all the Lurker boats that you can. They've been harassing our fishers lately. And whatever you do, don't fall into the water, there seems to be a high concentration of Lurker Sharks in that lake." Jak nodded and Daxter gave his non-verbal confirmation words. Jak took the stairs to the vat of Dark Eco, and followed the path to the lake. Once there, Jak sat down and ate the lunch Keira had given him, splitting half with Daxter.

After finishing the meal, Jak activated the communicator and had Daxter tell Keira to send the Zoomer over. "Oh Jak, I forgot to tell you, I upgraded your Zoomer to hold enough Yellow Eco for ten shots. After that, you'll need to recharge."

"Oh yea, we are rockin' now!" Daxter said with a grin. Jak nodded and headed towards the nearest blip on his radar. As he neared the boat, Jak locked onto it with the aiming screen and fired. An explosion rocked the water, and the three remaining boats rushed after him. Jak slowed down and allowed one boat to get close. Right before it rammed him, Jak activated the vertical thrusters and did a flip in the air. As his crosshairs locked onto the boat, Jak fired and saw the boat explode. The other two ships came at angles from behind. Jak let them get close, and then launched his reverse engines, causing the two ships to collide. While they tried to get loose, Jak fired his remaining shots at them and blew them up. Jak returned to the shore and went back to the boat.

"Oh yea! Who da man? Who da man? Who da man?" Daxter shouted. Jak looked at him. "Uh, who da Ottsel?" Jak smiled and nodded. Daxter started doing the moonwalk around the boat. As he headed for Sandover, Jak looked back at Misty Island, and prayed as hard as he could to the Precursors that he would never have to return there again. He looked to his home. Jak couldn't wait to see Keira and thank her for all her help.

As Jak and Daxter made their way to Samos' house, they saw Keira tinkering away as usual in her garage. "Oh hey guys. Dad says good job. Don't' go up there now, he's in a trance and he told me not to let anyone disturb him."

"Hey, baby! Whaddya say you and I go crusin' on this A-Grav Zoomer?" Daxter asked, seemingly as if he hadn't heard a word she had said.

Keira looked down at Daxter. "Rule number one: I don't date animals."

"Awww, you don't know what you're missin'!" Daxter said, dancing around and thrusting his hips at Keira. Jak suddenly glared at Daxter and back handed him. Jak wondered why he had hit his friend. When Daxter moved in on Keira, he had gotten so jealous that he had to hit him. Jak shrugged it off.

Keira rolled her eyes, but was secretly happy that Jak seemed to be getting jealous of her. "Listen, if you need something to keep you busy, my father always talked about an ancient Precursor pipeline hidden deep underground. Some of the pipes end in vents from which Eco flows freely, and some have been capped off so that the Eco is sealed back. There must be a way to turn the capped vents on. I traced part of the pipeline back to the Forbidden Temple. Maybe you should look there for some type of switch."

Jak nodded and picked Daxter up. "Whoa! Hold on buddy! I say we call it a day. C'mon, we went to Misty Island, tore through almost four dozen Lurkers, stopped them from opening the Silos, _and_ destroyed their ships. I think we've earned a break."

"Yea, I guess your right. Listen guys, I've got work to do, but how about we hang out at Sentinel Beach tomorrow? You guys can go to the temple in two days."

"Hey sister, I don't want to be a rodent any longer then I have to," Daxter protested. But then he realized that by going to the beach, he would be able to see Keira in a bathing suit. "You know what. Changed my mind, count me in."

Keira rolled her eyes, guessing at his train of thought, but put on a cheery smile anyway. "Sounds like fun. I'll see you guys tomorrow." Keira waved goodbye as Jak went home, clearly desperate for rest. Before he got to the bridge, he turned around and started walking back towards Keira. He knocked on the door and came out. "You need something?" Jak nodded and mimed writing on paper. Keira nodded and got him a pen and paper. Jak smiled his thanks and sat down, wincing as he did so. He had forgotten that some metal had cut his left leg after blowing those ships up.

"Samos. While Daxter & I were at Misty Island the first time, we overheard a plot to attack the village. Jak" Jak folded up the note and gave it to Keira. He stood up and stretched. Keira watched him and before she could control herself, she had pulled Jak into a tight embrace, sobbing. Needless to say, Jak was taken by surprise. After ten seconds, his body reacted and he wrapped his arms around her, trying to calm her down.

"I'm sorry Jak. But I was scared to death when I saw you get ambushed. If you had gotten killed, I, I don't know what I would've done." Jak pulled her away from his shoulder and smiled at her. He brushed some hair out of her eyes and gave her a look that plainly saying that he would be fine. His leg, however, chose that moment to collapse. Jak fell, and Keira yelped and helped him into a chair. She took his pants leg and rolled it up to his knee. "Oh Precursors Jak, you're leg. Its, its poisoned." Even though Keira was concerned about his leg, she couldn't help but noticed how smooth and muscular it was. Jak looked down at his leg and saw Keira was right; his leg had turned an ugly. "Hang on, I'll be right back." Keira ran upstairs and came back with a rag and a bottle of Green Eco. She put some on the rag and applied it to his leg. As she rubbed it on his leg, she saw his leg healing. Jak let out a hiss, which changed into a sigh of relief. Even after his leg was healed, Keira kept rubbing his leg, feeling the texture of it. She rose, blushing slightly, and said she had to go eat. Jak nodded and went home, collapsed on his bed, and passed out.

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Well, sorry it took so long. Like I said, I won't be updating twice a week, just once. Well, I hope that you guys keep reading and please review.


	5. Fun in the Sun

Red Mage 04: Thanks for the compliment, and I hope you will continue reading my work as much as I love reading yours. There is quite a bit of romance in the first book.

VinnyRoxyFrankie: I'm actually going to be updating once a week, roughly. Enjoy, and thank you for your compliments.

Sushi-chan1363: Daxter will dance in the next chapter, just for you. Thank you for complimenting me, and please start your sequel, the first ine was terrific. Everybody, I want you to read this person's masterpiece, Two Sides to Everything, and its probably awesome sequal that I will start reading tomarrow, There was Light and Darkness. Also, read Red Mage 04's great book, Risen Demon.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. You take nothing.

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Fun in the Sun

Jak got up and stretched. For all his adventures the day before, he felt fine. He remembered what had transpired between him and Keira last night. Why had she been so worried about him? Jak thought back and remembered the fear in her eyes; the fear of losing him. Jak remembered how horrible he had felt when he saw her cry. For all his strength and courage, there wasn't anything he could do when she cried. Whenever she did, he felt so... helpless. Jak looked out the window and smiled at his good fortune. He couldn't ask for a nicer day to go to the beach. Bright blue sky, nice bright green sun, warm, almost hot and no clouds. Jak went outside and took a deep breath of the air. Looking towards Samos' hut, he decided to go see if Keira was awake yet and also to see of she was ok. As he entered the garage, he saw Keira asleep yet again on her desk, looking over new blueprints. Looking at them, Jak could only understand that it had something to do with Eco, and seemed to be in the form of a cube. Jak looked at Keira and heard her whisper his name. "Is she dreaming about me?" He wondered. He bent down to her face and saw she was blushing slightly and a little out of breath, but she looked like she couldn't be happier. As Keira's eyes opened, and she saw the object of her teenager crush staring at her, not less then three inches away, she yelled out of surprise and leaned back. Her chair tipped over and she went falling backwards. Before she hit the floor, Jak put his foot on the seat of the chair and leaned on it so she straightened out. Keira got up before she embarrassed herself again, and mumbled a thank you to Jak. She then tried to think of a way to get Jak to hold her; she had seen how muscular he was.

Groaning, Keira made her leg give out and threw her hand out to Jak, who caught it. "Jak, my leg hurts, can you carry me to my bed?" Jak nodded and picked Keira up as if she were Daxter. Keira noticed this and was amazed at how strong he was. As he carried her to her room, she snuggled closer to him and imagined how nice it would be if he could carry her all the time. When he laid her down, she motioned with her finger for him to bend down. When he did, she grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into a tight hug. "Thanks Jak. Are you still going to the beach?" Jak nodded and waited for her to let go of him before he released her. When he did, he turned and walked outside, already missing the feel of Keira.

Jak decided to go wake Daxter up; he was currently collapsed on one of Jak's pillows on the floor. "Hey buddy, how ya doin'?" Jak shrugged and bent down so Daxter could scramble up onto his shoulder. After breakfast, Jak decided to go see if Brian and Mike wanted to play volleyball with him against Keira and her friends, since Daxter was useless and he needed three people on a team.

Meanwhile, Keira had been watching Jak. When she saw him go into his house, she walked over to Lauren and Kristen's house. She walked into their room, only to be grabbed and pulled inside. "Details!" They both asked simultaneously.

"About what, Jak and me?" Keira asked innocently, getting death glares from both of her friends.

"No, about Daxter's new physique." Kristen commented.

"Oh well nothing really. I mean, you guys know that I leaned on him a couple of times, I batted my eyes at him and swung my hips a little more when we were alone."

"Well of course we know that we helped you to do that. But how did he react?" Lauren asked, putting on her puppy eyes. Keira laughed, while those eyes might get her boyfriend Brian to do anything, they didn't work nearly as well on her. But because she was Lauren's best friend, Keira planned on telling her everything anyway.

"Well, to be honest, he really didn't react that much. Except for today nothing big happened. All that happened before was he blushed, glanced at my hips and smiled at me."

"What do you mean _today_? What happened? Tell us, tell us!" Kristen begged.

"Precursors, you two are worse than croca-dogs when they smell raw Yakow. Well, I was up late last night, finishing plans for my newest creation; a cube with three inch boundaries on all sides that are able to assimilate the fundamental properties of all types of Eco, and then contain it within its virtually impenetrable sides until a button is pressed, which allows the energy to flow freely around the user." Keira said; her eyes lighting up in the way that only mechanics could. Two blank stares met her gaze when she was finished with her explanation.

"Keira, we're interested in Jak, not your inventions. We like them, don't get me wrong, but I want details about Jak. And for the record, can you repeat yourself, only in English this time?" Lauren commented, seeing as how Kristen was still trying to comprehend what she had said.

Keira laughed, she often spoke like that when she talked about her work. She usually explained it to her father, who was immensely intelligent, and could keep up with her. "Sorry about that. My new invention will store Eco of any kind within itself until a button is pressed. When that happens, the Eco can flow out and let the owner use its power." Two stares once again met her, but this time they were full of understanding. "Anyway, about today, this morning, I got up and Jak was there, so when I stood up, I made him think my leg gave out, and I got him to carry me to my bed."

"Oh, that is so cute. So, what do you have planned for him today?" Lauren asked.

"Well, Jak, Daxter, and me are heading out to Sentinel Beach this afternoon. We're going to eat, go swimming, and maybe play some volleyball. Do you guys want to come along?"

"Hell yea! I haven't seen Jak without a shirt on since that time he was messing around with your first Yellow Eco container and it burned his shirt off six months ago. This'll be a great time to see how much he's grown." Kristen said with a dreamy smile on her face. She didn't notice the death glare she was getting from Keira, who was suddenly considering not being Kristen's friend anymore.

"Look out Kristen. You're wandering into dangerous territory."

"Don't worry Keira, I'm not interested in Jak enough to try to take him from you. Besides, I'd have to fight you for him, and I'd rather take on the whole Lurker tribe than fight you." Kristen said with a playful smile on her face. Keira smiled back, glad that she didn't have to decide between Jak and her friend.

"Anyway, I'm going to the beach with Jak and you guys, but I don't have a bathing suit. The last time I went swimming was last summer, and I don't have any money to buy a new swimsuit. Do you guys know what I can wear?" Keira asked.

"Hmm. I have only one bathing suit, but it's a two piece, so it's a little revealing. On the other hand, Jak will definitely notice you if you wear this; but then again, you'll be giving Daxter quite an eyeful." Kristen said, going into her closet and pulling out the said swimsuit and showing Keira.

"Oh. That's perfect. You're right, it will make Jak notice me if I wear it." Keira said, taking the suit from Kristen and looking at it. "But if this is your only suit, what will you wear?"

"Oh, I'll borrow my brother's trunks."

"No, I can't take this if you won't have anything to wear. How about I give you my suit from last year; it should fit you right now?"

"Ok, that seems fairer. In the meantime, you take this, and I'll drop by later to pick up your suit."

"Ok, and Kristin, thanks a lot. I really appreciate the help you two have given me with getting Jak to notice me."

"He always noticed you silly, we're just trying to get him to see that you're girlfriend material." Lauren commented.

"Whatever. The point is, thanks for your help. I'll see you guys later," Keira said, as she waved goodbye and walked back to her garage.

At noon, Jak, Lauren, Brain, Kristen, Mike and Daxter met at the beach. Jak looked around at everyone's outfit. Brian was wearing red trunks and a black shirt and Mike was wearing pants. Jak smiled at this; ever since Mike had walked into a field infested with Stingers at the age of nine he had never worn anything shorter than pants. Daxter was, of course, not wearing anything, as he was now covered in fur. Lauren was wearing a bright pink one piece and Kristen seemed to be wearing a bright green spaghetti swimsuit. Jak did a double take on this. Staring more at the suit than at Kristen, Jak recognized it to be Keira's. Jak wondered why on earth Kristen was wearing the suit that Keira had bought last summer.

Jak looked around, he saw all his friends, but he didn't see Keira anywhere. His shoulders drooped at this; he had been looking forward to seeing her all day. Lately, he couldn't get enough of her. He had always liked spending time with Keira, but now she was on his mind constantly. Sighing, Jak resigned himself to a day without seeing her. "Oh come on Jak. You really think that I would pass up a chance to spend some quality time with you and my friends?" Jak turned around, and saw Keira in a red two-piece that looked absolutely gorgeous on her. Jak stared at her, from her eyes, he looked all the way down to her feet, and then looked back up. Keira was doing the same to him; she loved looking at his chest. After about ten seconds, they realized what they were doing and looked away, both of them a little red in the face. Keira was trying to think of something to sat so she could make the situation less awkward, but couldn't; the fact that Jak was staring straight into her eyes with a dreamy smile on his face had left her quite speechless.

Keira started praying to the Precursors that something would happen so she and Jak could act normally again. Thankfully, the Precursors were listening, because they chose that moment to have Brian speak up.

"Yo! I got my dad to give me some homegrown meat for burgers. Who wants one?"

"I'll have one!" Keira practically shouted, happy to be able to walk away from Jak's unrelenting stare without insulting him.

"Three here." Mike called over from Kristen's side.

"I'll have one," Lauren called over from she was tanning on.

"I'll have one," Daxter told him.

Jak held up two fingers. Brian nodded to Jak to show that he heard. Jak watched Keira lay herself down and close her eyes next to Lauren.

"Is he still looking at me?" Keira muttered to Lauren.

"Staring more like. But not at your chest, your face still. He's looking down every once in a while though." Lauren whispered back, not wanting Jak to see they were talking.

After lunch, they all played volleyball, Daxter being the referee of course. After the game, Kristen claimed she was going to get some food from her house. Brian had left not too long afterwards. Jak noticed that they had been gone for a while now. Jak shrugged his shoulders and wondered what they were up to. Keira gave Lauren a look and nodded towards the village. Lauren winked back.

"Brian, let's go watch a movie back at my house." Lauren said as she looked suggestively at him. Brian grinned and gladly went with her. As they walked back to the village, Lauren turned around and winked at Keira, who blushed at what she was planning to do.

Keira turned around to look at Jak, who wasn't facing at her. Quickly, Keira realized that she hadn't taken care of Daxter. Then she remembered that Jak had instructed Daxter to go home and start packing for tomorrow's journey. She looked at Jak, who was still staring away from her. Keira walked up next to him and leaned on him. Jak looked down and smiled briefly at her, but it was a sad smile. Keira noticed and leaned up to his face. She looked into his eyes, in addition to the beautiful blue they possessed, they also looked troubled. "You ok, Jak?" she asked gently. Jak shook his head. "You want to talk about it?" she asked, knowing that he was lying. Jak shook his head again and sighed sadly. "Is it Daxter? Do you feel responsible for what happened?" Jak nodded his head sheepishly. Keira forgot about her plan to kiss him and started thinking of a way to make him feel better. "Listen Jak; Daxter told me everything that happened. It's not your fault. If you hadn't thrown that bomb, the two of you might have been killed instead." Jak nodded his head and sat down, staring once more into the horizon. Keira sat down next to him, put her head on his shoulder and snuggled up next to him. She looked up at him, hoping that he would look back. He did, and instead of last time, it didn't feel awkward at all. It felt right to both of them. Jak stared into Keira's green eyes, taking in their beauty. Without even thinking about it, he leaned in closer to her face. Keira started leaning up as the distance between their lips quickly diminished. A split second before the two of them shared their first kiss with each other, Daxter's shrill voice rang out.

"Yo, Jak. The mayor wants to see you about something. And that weirdo who lives in his hut that sculpts all day was muttering about needing to talk to you, so you might want to go talk to him. And your Uncle says its time for bed."

"He's coming," Keira shouted. Looking at Jak, she saw him staring at the ground, his face redder than a tomato. He deliberately continued staring at the ground as he walked back to the village.

As Jak walked, wondering what in the name of the Precursors had come over him, he noticed he was at the Sculptors house. He knocked on the door. "Yea, come on in," a depressed voice sounded out of the house. Jak walked in with Daxter on his shoulder and saw the saddest elf ever. The sculptor saw Daxter and instantly brightened. "Hey! Little furry dude!" Then his face dropped again. "Aww... For a moment, I thought you were my Muse."

"Your what?" Daxter asked, clearly confused.

"Haven't you ever seen a Muse before? It's a little glowing squirrel about your size, full of spunk, and crazy as a lark!" the sculptor explained.

"Oh, I get it! Like a sidekick." Daxter said as he grinned and pointed at Jak. Jak rolled his eyes.

"As a matter of fact, without my Muse, I just can't sculpt. But with her around I see beauty in everything, you know? I think she ran away to that Forbidden Jungle. I just hope she's all right. It's worth a Power Cell if you bring her back to me!" Jak perked up at this; with another Power Cell, he would be closer to changing Daxter back.

"Might as well keep an eye out for her tomorrow, eh Jak?" Jak nodded and walked out. He figured before he went to bed, he would stop in at the Mayor's house and see what he wanted. As he walked in, he saw the Mayor pacing back and forth, looking troubled. The Mayor spotted Daxter and didn't even look fazed; he had seen to many strange things to lets an Ottsel freak him out.

"Oh, don't tell me you two have problems as well! First, I hear of monstrous sightings near the village, now this. See those gears, boys?" he asked as he pointed straight up. Jak looked up and saw a bunch of gears that seemed to turn the windmill and supply the village with power. He nodded. "See them? See how they're not moving? That means our village has no power! The Eco beam coming from the jungle temple has been interrupted! Boys, everyone's too frightened to go and find out what's happened!"

Daxter, who had been picking at his fingernails this entire time, decided to lighten the mood. "Did ya pay the bill?"

The mayor looked puzzled, then annoyed at Daxter's joking at the grievous situation. "Yaa-hmm? Ooooh, you're funny. Now look, if you two fix the Eco beam, I'll give you a Power Cell. And if by any chance you're interested in making a contribution to my re-election campaign, I might be willing to part with yet another Power Cell. The minimum contribution is, oh, a very modest... one hundred Precursor Orbs," he said, his voice cracking nervously at the end. Jak decided he would start saving up; all he had were the fifty he had found on Geyser Rock the day before.

As he left the mayor's house, Jak decided to see what his uncle wanted and found him in his bedroom. Looking around, Jak as puzzled. His uncle said he was to go on a new journey the next day, but nothing was packed. "Well hello there, my dear boy. You've caught me at a most inopportune moment. I was to set off on my journey tomorrow, but I seem to be a spot short on the old Precursor Orbs. I would have pledged my word that I had fifty of them. But I gather that your young friend, you know, the little annoying miserably ugly one, might have just pimpled them as a sort of a spot of fun."

At this comment, Daxter growled and left the room. His uncle stared confused for a second, and then went back to talking to his nephew. "Anyway, would you be kind enough to loan your dear old uncle fifty Precursor Orbs so he can get underway? I would offer you a Power Cell in return." Jak grinned and nodded. He went to his room and carried all the Orbs he had found back to his uncle and dumped them on the bed. "Good, good, jolly good! You have the Precursor orbs that we agreed on? I hope you put this hard-earned Power Cell to good use. Cheerio, ta-ta, bye-bye!" he said as he handed a Power Cell to Jak. He then proceeded to start packing quickly. Jak yawned and went to his room. As he laid down, his mind was filled with wonderful sights of Keira from that afternoon. His content would not last. Jak tossed and turned later in his sleep, his mind supplying him with horrible images of what those two... monsters he had seen the other day would do if their plan succeeded.

"Damn it to the bowels of Legatee!" Keira raged at her room, hurling every curse she was aware of at the Precursors. "I can't believe it. We were a second away from kissing when Daxter interrupted us. And now Jak probably thinks I'm a total idiot." Keira raged like this for about a half-hour before she simply ran out of energy and collapsed on her bed. "Wait, maybe Jak doesn't think I'm an idiot. Maybe one day, I will kiss him."

"Well Jak, it seems that tomorrow you shall face the first temple. I hope that you have received sufficient training to conquer the trials you will soon face. If not, the world as we know it shall be plunged into eternal darkness, and the Dark Times will return and cover this planet with evil."

* * *

Please review, for those are the only things that keep me alive. Send in any ideas, criticism, flames, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Money will also be nice, lol. If you send in an idea, and it fits for this story, chances are I will use it. If it doesn't I'll probably use it in a different story. 


	6. A Walk in the Park

Sushi-chan1363- Daxter's danicing in this chapter is for you, because you are my oldest fan. (Bows to your greatness and grins). I think I got the paragraph problem solved, but if you nitice anything I screwed up. Please give me ideas if you have any; I gladly welcome those.

Red Mage 04- Thank you for your compliments and please update your story soon, as I am eagerly awaiting your updates. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, you steal nothing, I do nothing.

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A Walk in the Park

"It is finished... our ancient enemy is no more. Take hope brave one. The terrible darkness inside you is now balanced by a glorious light," a voice said. The voice was deep, a little harsh, but very soothing.

"Take care kid." This voice came from a very tall man with long yellow hair and blue eyes. He also had a green goatee. He was very strong, and for some reason felt familiar in some way. Then, the man slowly became older. His hair got even longer and turned white. His skin turned gray and his teeth became fangs. Jak retched back in horror, his hero had become the man he had seen on Misty Island.

The man let out a burst of insane laughter. "You think you have the power to defeat me? Fool." The man stretched his hand out and pointed behind Jak. Jak turned around and saw Keira, Samos and Daxter all chained to a wall. "Now witness the glorious beauty of darkness." The old man screamed as a stream of what appeared to be Dark Eco flowed from his hands and coursed through them all. Jak watched in horror as his friends slowly transformed into pale face demons with fangs, claws and horns. Jak ran over to Daxter, who threw him into a wall and then went to bow down to the man. Jak went to Samos, who was also bowing down. Turning around, Jak saw Keira in her demon form, staring at him. Jak grabbed Keira and shook her shoulders as he stared deep into her black eyes, desperately looking for a trace of the girl he liked. The demon smiled at him, and Jak sighed in relief. His sigh quickly turned into a gasp as pain erupted in his chest. As he looked down, he saw the arm of what had been Keira sticking through his chest. Jak fell to the ground, hugging his body as he stared up at his friend. Keira looked down on him, pure pleasure from his pain written all over her face. She licked her claws from his blood and then strolled over to the monster that had mutated her. She caressed his chest and then shared a long passionate kiss with him.

The old man laugh psychotically. "This is your future. This is what your destiny is, what your friends are doomed to become." Jak struggled to get up, but the blood loss made him close his eyes. His last thought before he dies was one of regret; he had failed to protect Keira.

Jak woke up, covered in sweat. He quickly scanned his room for anything out of the ordinary. Jak lay back down and stared at the ceiling, trying to drive his nightmares out of his mind. Lately, his dreams had been of that sort, dark and scary. Jak looked outside and saw it was about seven on the morning, judging by the sun's position. Jak decided to get underway; he didn't want to have to hike strenuously in the forest with the sun's full power beating down on him. Jak got out of bed and stretched, then he went over to the closet to get dressed. Jak pulled out his favorite sleeveless blue tunic and put it on. After finding a pair of red underwear, Jak pulled on a pair of white pants and fitted his shoulder and forearm armor into his left arm and positioned his goggles above his eyes. After that, he picked up his leather backpack with its sling and wrapped it through his chest ring. Jak made sure his hair was the way he liked it and then deemed his outfit complete. Jak walked over to Daxter's new bed to wake him up, only to find that Daxter wasn't there. Jak looked around his room to see if Daxter was planning a prank of some kind, but nothing seemed out of place.

Jak went to his uncle's room and left a note informing his uncle where he was going so he didn't worry. He then wandered into the kitchen with the intent of having a bowl of cereal. An unexpected sight met his eyes; well done Yakow patties, fried Flut-Flut eggs and fruit juice. Jak found a note next to his meal. "Jak, I figured you would be hungry, so I got up early and prepared some food for you. You would not believe how hard it is to cook when the pan's handle is almost as big as your arm. Anyway, enjoy the meal and wake me up when you're done. And by the way, you're welcome- Daxter." Jak read the note and then smiled at his friend. He was surprised by Daxter's thoughtfulness. After eating, Jak decided to simply put Daxter in his backpack and let him continue sleeping.

Before he left the village, Jak decided to visit Keira's house and apologize to her for the other day. Expecting to have to leave her a note to find when she woke up, Jak strolled into the kitchen. Jak looked inside and was surprised to see Keira wide-awake and eating some toast. "Morning Jak. Are you hungry?" Jak shook his and patted his stomach, clearly saying he had eaten already. Keira nodded, but noticed that Jak didn't look at her like he used to; in fact, he wasn't looking at her at all. "Oh, by the way, I've got a surprise for you Jak," she said as she left the room. Jak looked up and watched her as she walked away, only to look past her when she returned with a leather belt and with what appeared to be a yellow box, a green box, a blue box, and a red box attached to it. "These are Eco Containers! They'll store Eco inside until you want to Channel it. Their color-coded, so you won't get confused during a fight by wondering which Box holds which power. You press this button to let it absorb Eco, and then you flip this switch to release it," Keira explained her eyes bright and excited.

Jak smiled, but still didn't look at her. Keira decided that Jak might be a little freaked out about what had almost happened the other day. "Listen Jak. About yesterday, I'm sorry about that." Jak finally looked at her and smiled, but it was a very feeble one. "I don't know what came over me. Can we just forget it and be friends? It wasn't your fault." Jak gave her a real smile and walked slowly toward her. He stopped a foot away and looked down on her. Keira looked up at him, noticing how tall he was. Jak closed the gap between them and pulled Keira into a tight embrace. He buried his face in her hair and let out a sigh of content as he took in her scent; wild berries and flowers. Keira pushed her body into his, reveling in the feel of his larger, more muscular body. After a minute or so, Jak reluctantly let her go and stared deep into the emerald pools of her eyes. Keira once again felt gravity's effect leave her under his warm gaze. Jak turned around and started walking out the door. "Wait Jak!" Jak turned around and saw Keira with the belt and a backpack. "You forgot the belt. And I also packed you some food for your journey." Jak took the said items from her and nodded his thanks.

As Jak walked through the village, he thought of all the responsibilities he had been burdened with. In addition to finding a way to revert Daxter back to his original appearance, he also had to find the Precursor Blue Eco Temple, activate the Blue Eco Switch, collect three more Power Cells, find the Sculptor's Muse, give the Mayor one hundred Precursor Orbs, and figure out a way to turn on the village's power. As Jak came to the forest entrance, he noticed the gate that guarded the forest had been ripped to shreds and burned. Jak put his goggles on to see if he could find anything that would give and explanation for this. The goggles detected minute traces of Dark Eco on the door, and Jak realized with a jolt of horror that the two people from Misty Island must have forced their way inside and were now inside the jungle.

Jak entered the forest and heard a girl scream in the distance. This scream finally woke Daxter up, who immediately leapt into Jak's hair, screaming something about women and Ottsels first.

"Damn Jak, don't get so jumpy. It's gonna be a walk in the park."

Jak ignored him and continued walking for hours until he reached a valley. Pulling out a map that his uncle had given him, Jak saw that there should have been a bridge, but there wasn't one to be found. Jak continued walking along the edge of the chasm until he came to burned rope and wood. Jak guessed that this was where the bridge used to be. He also surmised that the same people that had burned and shattered the entrance gate had done this as well. Jak put his goggles on again and activated the zoom function. He peered down into the gorge and saw the now mangled bridge lying at the bottom of the basin. There also appeared to be a young girl on it, and Jak realized that she must have been the one who he had heard scream earlier.

Jak measured the distance between the ledges and guessed he would have to jump about fifty feet to get to the other side. Jak then continued looking down into the hole and saw what appeared to be a piece of a Precursor Bridge. Jak grinned, now if he could just find some Blue Eco, he could move the pieces together and cross that way. Jak then started branching out his mind, trying to sense any Eco nearby. He had realized during his fight with the Lurkers on Misty Island that he could detect Eco a little, but the less concentrated it was, the closer it had to be. Jak didn't sense any nearby that he could Channel. He then switched his goggles to Eco Detector mode, but still didn't find any Eco, except for a Blue Eco Vent on the other side of the valley. Jak swore mentally, now he would have to go back to the village and store some Eco, and then come back the next day. Grumbling in his mind, Jak turned around and headed back to the village.

"Hey buddy, I thought we were gonna go to the temple."

Jak picked up a stick and wrote in the ground "No Eco."

"What about that box of Blue Eco Keira gave you?" Jak shook his head, if there had been even the smallest trace of Eco in that box, he would have been able to sense it. Just to make Daxter happy, Jak checked the Eco reading. His eyes widened when he saw it was full. Jak stared for a second in disbelief; somehow this box shielded the Eco within from detection. Jak smiled and headed back to the chasm. He flipped the switch and felt the familiar power of Blue Eco wash over with him. Jak used his hands to direct the pieces of Precursor metal into place until the bride was completed. Jak flipped the switch again to halt the flow of Eco and recharged his box at the other side of the bridge. Jak then stepped into the Vent himself, he figured he might as well take advantage of it and started running through the forest. After fifteen minutes, the Eco wore off and Jak slowed down. He looked up at the sky and guess it to be about one o'clock. His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he had been moving all day without food for six hours. Jak decided to take a break and ate some of the food Keira had given him. "Hey, what about me Jak, I've been working hard too, ya know."

Jak threw him a look clearly saying, "I've been doing all the work."

"Oh yea? Do you know how hard it is to keep balance on your shoulder?" Jak smiled and tossed Daxter half a Yakow and cheese sandwich, which Daxter accepted gratefully.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the village, Keira was leaning on the same windowsill she had been leaning on ever since Jak had left the village. She sighed and decided to visit Kristen and Lauren. They would no doubt want to know if Jak had kissed her yesterday. As she went into their room, she saw the two of them looking depressed. "Hey guys what's up? Aren't you going to pelt me with questions about yesterday?"

"No. I was watching from my bathroom and I saw Daxter interrupt the two of you. That really sucks," Kristen said as she looked at Keira sadly.

"I know. And the worst part of it is, this morning, Jak looked upset about it, almost like he thought he had done something wrong."

"Aww, that is so cute. He is so innocent and shy," Lauren said.

"Yea. At least we're ok again. When I asked him this morning if we could be friends, he nodded and gave me a hug again." Keira sighed, remembering how good it felt to be held by him.

"So, where's lover-boy now?" Lauren inquired.

"Oh, he went into the Forbidden Jungle to find the Precursor Blue Eco Temple."

"Are you gonna try to kiss him again?" Kristen asked.

"Maybe. But not for a while, I think he's a little freaked out as it is. Anyway, enough about me. What about your boyfriends?"

"Brian and me have stayed the same. Nothing changed," Lauren said as she sighed.

"Mike kissed me yesterday," Kristina squealed. Keira and Lauren looked at her.

"That's nothing new," Lauren commented.

"No, I mean he French-kissed me."

"Oh my Precursor! How was it?" Keira asked, her eyes excited.

"It felt weird, but very good." The girls continued like that all day, and then went shopping for new outfits.

* * *

At ten o'clock, Jak's uncle woke up and started to leave. "I really should say goodbye to my nephew," he thought. "Jak! Jak? Where are you, my dear boy?" He called, as he wandered through the house. Just as he was about to give up, he spotted Jak's note.

"Dear Uncle, Daxter and I have gone into the Forbidden Jungle to go to the Precursor Blue Eco Temple. We are going to try to activate the switch inside, and release more Eco into the world. I don't know when we will return, so please don't worry, and don't wait up for us. Good luck with your trip- Jak."

"Oh dear, I'd better tell Samos about this. That is a bit odd. He said Jak would one day go to that Temple, and now he has. Ah well that Sage probably knows more about Jak then anyone." As he made his way to the sage's hut, he noticed a sigh on the door.

"Do Nit Disturb. I am meditating."

"Old boy! Open this door immediately I say. Jak has gone to the Temple." The door immediately flew open.

"Dave! How are you?" The sage inquired.

"Jolly good. Now, you told me to inform you if Jak went to the Precursor Temple."

"That's correct. Has he?"

"Yes. From the looks of this note he left me, he left this morning."

"Thank you for telling me Dave. I wish you the best of fortune on your expedition. If you don't mind, I must meditate upon this new information."

"Right-o. I'll leave you to it, then."

Samos sighed. "Jak, do not allow yourself to fall to darkness. Hopefully, you will not let the Dark Eco Silos be opened. If they are, all will be destroyed, and the Dark Times will return. Good luck Jak."

* * *

Jak continued walking through the forest after lunch, still keeping his guard up. Suddenly, he heard something moving his way. And by the way the trees in the distance were moving, it was headed his way fast. Jak was prepared for a fast opponent, so he was quite surprised when trees were uprooted as a Lurker Ram crashed through the clearing. Jak adopted a fighting stance and decided between fighting this thing or trying to lose it. As the Lurker attack would happen any day now, and he needed to restore the village's power, Jak decided to try to outrun the Ram. Jak waited for the Ram to charge, when it did, he quickly jumped onto its back and vaulted into the trees. Jak jumped from branch to branch with unnatural grace, swinging across larger gaps on vines.

As they landed in a bit of a clearing, Daxter started doing The Robot for a good five minutes while Jak pulled out the map and tried to discern where they were. He looked up when Daxter beat his chest like an ape and shouted "All hail Daxter, King of the Jungle! Oh yea, oh yea. Hey Jak, you might wanna..." Jak turned to look at him; it wasn't like Daxter not to finish his sentences. Daxter was white, even with his fur, and was pointing at a spot somewhere beyond Jak. "J- J- J- Jak! Run!" Daxter screeched as he took off. Jak scratched his head in confusion. He turned around and saw the object of Daxter's terror. Another Lurker Bull, this one with a Dark Eco Box strapped to it, was heading straight for him, obviously on a suicide attack. Jak started running as fast as he could, picking Daxter up as he passed him. As he ran, Jak put his goggles on to find an Eco vent; he had to destroy that Ram before it killed him. To his despair, the nearest one was over half a mile away. Jak slowed down slightly so he would be able to get there and looked back. His goggles noticed a Blue Eco aura around the Ram. Jak mentally swore, the Ram had somehow been infused with Blue Eco. Suddenly, Jak felt his elbow bump into something and felt Blue Eco seep into his body. Looking down, he saw that his elbow had flipped the switch on his Blue Eco Box and turned it on. Jak called himself every synonym of idiot he could think of; he had completely forgotten about the Boxes Keira had given him. Jak jumped up onto a branch and used Blue Eco to propel himself one hundred feet forward. As he landed, he turned off his Blue Eco Box and activated his Yellow Eco one. As he waited for the Ram to get into firing range, Jak collected all his power between his hands. He crouched down, and prepared to fire as soon as he saw the Ram.

The Ram burst through the nearby trees about fifteen seconds later, clearly thinking it had won, and it would take down the elf that was coming to be known as "The Lurker Bane." Jak threw his hands forward, and a beam of Yellow Eco at least four feet in diameter was launched at the Ram. The Ram, who was not expecting such an assault and who didn't know just what a huge blast of Yellow Eco could do to it, stupidly continued running. It then felt its skin being burned and ripped off. Jak continued pouring all his energy into this one assault until he was thrown off his feet as a shockwave rocked the ground. When the dust cleared, Jak looked and saw a trench three feet deep leading away from him. Twenty feet away, where he assumed he had hit the Ram, was a ten-foot deep crater. Jak made sure that nothing else was coming his way before he traveled to the Vent to recharge his box. Once he was finished, he continued on his way to the temple doors.

After about a half-hour of walking, Jak heard a commotion coming from a clearing to his left. As he cautiously made his way there, he picked up the scent of Lurkers. Jak dropped to his stomach and crawled forward. He saw a row of Lurker Ogres guarding the clearing. Jak noticed the distance between them and realized if he attacked one, he would alert the others. Jak tried to think of a way to sneak in, but could not find any fallacies in the defense. No normal elf would be able to get in, let alone the one that was becoming quite well known in the Lurker tribe. Jak looked up and noticed the Eco Beam that supplied the village with power was aimed into the clearing, but wasn't heading out. That sealed it in Jak's mind; he simply had to find a way into that clearing. Suddenly, he looked at Daxter, an insane idea forming in his mind.

"What?" Daxter asked, not liking the look in Jak's eyes. Jak motioned to the clearing with his hand. "Oh no. There is no way in Legatee I am going in there."

Jak glared at him and picked him up. He made a motion with his arm that said quite plainly, "If you don't go in there, I'll throw you in."

"Oh all right," Daxter sighed. "What do you want me to do?" Jak pointed at the Eco Beam. "Ok, I'll find out about the Beam and then that's it, I'm coming back." Jak nodded and shook Daxter's paw.

Daxter crawled out of the bushes and strolled casually between the Ogres. To both his and Jak's relief, they didn't even glance at him. Jak waited for Daxter to return with baited breath. After about ten minutes, he saw Daxter running as fast as he could out of the clearing with a bag over his shoulder. He saw a Scout running after Daxter, but as the Scout passed the Ogres, they grabbed him and escorted him back inside to his job. Jak crawled over to where Daxter had run into the bushes and found him eating a piece of fruit. Jak looked inside the bag and found about ten bags of nuts and fruit. Jak guessed that Daxter had raided the kitchen, and the Scout that had been chasing him was the cook. Jak playfully smacked Daxter on his head, who grinned back at him. As Jak loaded up his now full backpack, he pointed to the Beam.

"Oh yea, the Beam. The Lurkers have built some kind of machine that's diverting the Beam. They're moving a lot of Dark Eco into containers. I think they're going to try to blow the Precursor Temple doors open. If you want to destroy them, I saw a boulder at the top of that hill over there." Daxter pointed to a rocky hill in the distance. Jak nodded and headed towards the hill. About halfway up, he spotted a Lurker watchtower. He crouched down, and tried to sneak past. Unfortunately, it spotted him and sounded an alarm. Jak launched a sweeping Yellow Eco Blast the sliced all the support beams and sent the tower toppling. Beyond the rubble, Jak spotted the aforementioned boulder. As he reached it, he used the power of Red Eco to lift it up over his head and threw it towards the clearing. To his delight, it rolled and left a hole in the ground where the machine had been.

Jak hiked down the mountain and headed to the clearing to see if he could salvage anything from the wreckage. To his delight, he found another Power Cell. Including the others, he was up to eighteen. He showed it to Daxter, who proceeded to break dance. Jak smiled at him and followed to Beam of Eco with his eyes. He saw it lead to a mirror that should reflect the beam back towards the village. Unfortunately, it seemed that the Lurkers had rotated the mirror so that the beam no longer gave the village power. Jak charged up on Red Eco and dug his fingers into the solid wood. He walked around the mirror, rotating it until it locked into place. Jak watched happily as it continued ricocheting towards the village. Jak sat down and ate from the supplies that Daxter had refreshed earlier. After three minutes, his communicator started beeping. He turned it on and heard Keira's voice.

"Jak thanks for restoring power to the village. You didn't do it too soon either; Lurkers have been massing at Sentinel Beach. Even with the power, if we're going to survive this, we're going to need you too." Jak frowned; her voiced was laced with worry. He picked up a stick and wrote a question in the dirt. He looked at Daxter, asking him to ask Keira for him.

"So baby, when are we gonna go on that date?" At this, he earned another light backhand from Jak. "Ouch! Oh, and, uh, when do you think the Lurkers will attack?"

"Probably within one or two days. Jak, I know what you're doing is serious, and do be careful, but I need you here before Thursday, ok?" He nodded.

"Jak says, don't worry, he'll be there." Daxter said before he flipped the communicator off. Jak looked around and noticed a cart. Jak jumped on and began pumping the handle to move the cart. Jak pumped faster happily think how much faster he would get to the temple. And the faster he got to the temple, the faster he could get back to Keira. He was suddenly hurled forward and snapped out of the peaceful fantasy of him carrying Keira in his arms after stopping the Lurker attack that he had conjured up. He landed in what wasn't exactly water, but it wasn't exactly earth either. He tried to swim, but started to sink. He realized that he had been launched into a lake of quicksand, and if he didn't do something quickly, he would sink down and drown. He saw Daxter on the side of the pool and breathed a sigh of relief. His small frame had actually saved him, making him be catapulted farther then Jak had been when the cart had suddenly stopped. Jak held his breath, relaxed, and slowly felt himself rise to the surface. He lightly swam to shore, where Daxter pulled him out.

"Jeez Jak, I'm always saving you," he said with a smirk on his face. Jak stood up shakily and noticed the Temple right in front of him. As it was nightfall, he walked up the steps and collapsed in front of the door, not wanting to go inside until tomorrow.

In the morning, Jak woke up, ate a quick breakfast, and read the inscription on the door.

"Complete the proper ritual, brave warrior, and the doors will open for ye."

"Oh, Jak, I know this allow me." Daxter walked up to the door and took a deep breath. He then did a very low bow to the door as a sign of respect. Then, with a wild yell, he did a headstand and began spinning around. As he landed, he stood on one leg and began to play the air guitar. He hopped around on one leg and then slid across the ground. After he slowed down, he did a backflip and started break dancing. At the end of his final spin, he sprang up and began the Robot, finishing his "ritual" with a suggestive hip thrust. Jak rolled his eyes and sent a stream of Blue Eco from his body using his Box into the symbol at the center of the door.

"Enter," a voice said. Jak shivered, it was the same voice that the being of light from his dream spoke in. He squared his shoulders and with his Eco box on his waist and his best friend on his shoulder, bravely walked through the temple doors, which promptly slammed shut after he entered.

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Please review. I will begin leaving previews for the next chapter if three people tell me I should. I won't be updating very frequently until June 21st, because of end-of-the-year exams. Keep up the good work yourselves and feel free to give me criticism, ideas, or flames.


	7. The First Temple

Red Mage 04: Thanks for the update compliment, I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long. Awesome new chapter by the way. I took your idea, and I think Jak is going to be learning a form of martial arts only the Precursors knew. And I don't know if I already mentioned this, because I have a horrible memory, but you are more than welcome to use any ideas you see oin my stories, provided that you give me proper credit.

VinnyRoxyFrankie: After June 21st, you will be happy to know I will be officially on summer vacation, so you can expect a steady review flow. Sorry about what happened to your computer, but thank you for the review.

Disclaimer: I don't own a damn thing, except something near the end.

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The First Temple

Jak looked around in the Temple. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined the inside would be anything like this. He had stepped into a humongous room; he could not even see the ceiling. "Wow, Jak. Look at this. Did you ever think it would be this cool?" Jak stood still and shook his head, too much in awe of this beauty the Precursors had created to do anything else. He took a step, and instantly, Vents of Blue Eco erupted everywhere. Jak grinned; he had used all of his Blue Eco when he had run away from the Lurker Ram. Jak stepped into the Vent and charged up his Box. He walked aimlessly around, looking for some kind of hint about where the location of the Switch was. He saw a sign indicating the way to the Switch. As he made his way towards the entrance to the hallway, he turned his guard on. He found it excessively hard to believe that the Precursors had built this marvelous temple and not included any booby traps. As he made his way into the hall, the door leading to it slammed shut, and Jak saw a lever. He walked over to it and read the sign above it.

"Pull this lever to activate the Eco Vents in this hallway. But be cautious, the price for power is indeed high."

Jak looked at Daxter, asking with his eyes if he should pull the lever. "No Jak, let's not use the power of Eco to turn the Switch back on faster," he said. "Pull it." Jak shrugged and pulled the lever. As he did, the floor suddenly gushed out liquid Blue Eco. Jak felt the power seep into his body and started running, never running low on Eco. After a while, a strange rumbling in the distance caught his ear. He turned around, looking for the origin of the sound. To his horror, he saw a huge sphere of Precursor metal rolling towards him. Daxter saw it as well. His eyes widened, and then he proceeded to show that he could scream at a volume usually associated with a creature much larger. "Run Jak! Run like hell!" He screamed. Jak didn't need telling twice, he turned around and started running as fast as his legs would carry him, trying to ignore the rising panic inside him as he heard the ball of metal get closer to him. After ten minutes, the ball had gained on him and Jak was starting to despair; the end of the tunnel was nowhere in sight, and no matter how fast he ran, the ball seemed to go that much faster.

Jak continued running as fast as he could, desperately trying to outrun the ball of metal following him. As he ran, he began looking for any clues to help him stop the trap and avoiding a first hand lesson on what a marshmallow feels like when its run over by a steamroller. He spotted a sign up ahead in the ever-turning hallway. He put down his goggles and took a picture so he could read it as he ran. "Do not be focused on the past, for you are the present, and the present is always moving, while the past remains still. Although the present must learn from the past, it must look to the future as well, or it is doomed." Jak thought about what this meant, but kept running. He started to slow down a little, running out of energy.

"Move it Jak! Stop trying to figure that sign out already. You are the present, and the present needs to move faster." Suddenly, it all clicked for Jak.

"That's it," he thought. "I am the present, but then is the ball the past. But if the boulder is staying still, why is it getting closer. Unless the room is the present, and if that's true, then the ball is staying still and the room is moving me. And in order to be rescued, I have to look to the future, I have to look ahead of me." He looked ahead for some kind of clue as to how to disable the trap and not get killed. He saw nothing on the walls, but started to notice indentations on the floor. Jak turned around and backpedaled watching the indentations interlock with the ball. "So that's it. This is one hell of a trap the Precursors set up here. By flipping that lever, I made a giant ball of metal crash down. The ball spins the room around, but stays still. I focus on the ball so much, I don't notice the truth. In order to stop the trap, I have to re-flip that lever, but I'm too busy avoiding the ball to do that. Luckily, I'm not alone." He continued running waiting for the lever to come around. When it did, he threw Daxter onto it and made a pulling motion with his hand. Daxter nodded and started trying with all of his three pounds of muscle to move the lever.

Jak started to grow hopeful; if Daxter flipped the lever, it might stop the trap. "Jak, I can't move it." The small bubble of hope that had gathered in his chest burst; he was now trapped in a never-ending hallway. He grabbed Daxter off the wall and looked up, desperate for rest. He saw a hole in the ceiling. Jak's brain froze for a moment and he did a double take. He looked again and, sure enough, there was a hole there. Jak looked down to see if there was anyway for him to jump through the hole. On his second pass around, he spotted a circular platform imbedded in the ground with a blue lightning bolt symbol in the center. Jak's heart leaped for joy, it was a Precursor Launch Pad. On his third time, as he stepped on it, he focused all of his energy and prayed he had enough power left in his body to make the leap. He crouched down and jumped. With his natural agility enhanced by Blue Eco and the Launch Pad, he shot one hundred feet into the air, went through the hole, and came out the other side into a small room. His legs gave out and he collapsed and sat down. As he rubbed his legs with Green Eco, he ate about half of the food left in his backpack. After about ten minutes of rest, he looked around and saw a door. Jak went to it, much more apprehensively this time. He emerged into another large room, but this one was nowhere as big as the first one; he could see the ceiling and all four walls this time.

Jak was standing on a ledge, the only other ledge this high was one with a door, which was where Jak assumed he wanted to go. This room had water on the bottom that periodically turned yellow; Jak guessed that was when he didn't want to be in it. There was a platform with a button in the middle of the water right below Jak, and another off in the distance. There was a moving platform from the low ledge in front of Jak that led to a raised ledge to his left that had a red-hot pipe going across. The other moving platforms was going between it and another ledge on Jak's right. There was another red-hot pipe sticking out of the wall after the aforementioned ledge, with a long moving platform underneath it. This walkway seemed to go to another ledge. After that, Jak couldn't see anything. He jumped down to the nearest ledge on the water and stepped on the button. The water flashed yellow again and little ledges raised themselves from the ledge Jak was standing on to the one off in the distance. Jak put his foot down gingerly and a faint ticking sound began. After five ticks, the platform Jak was on started to sink. Jak jumped to the next one and in this way managed to make it to the other platform. Jak saw that this bit of floor also had a button. Jak pressed this one and heard some gears falling into place. He looked up at the door that had been closed and saw it open. Jak charged up Blue Eco and leapt as hard as he could towards the first platform. He landed about five feet away and started swimming. Just as he pulled himself out, he felt electricity course through him. He gritted his teeth and pulled himself up and out of the water, making a mental note not to land in there again. He jumped onto the moving platform and onto the ledge. Jumping over the pipe, Jak could feel how hot it was and hoped he could make it through without getting burned. He got onto the other moving platform, and made his way to the moving walkway. He ran across, timing his jumps so he wouldn't get his legs burned off and made it to the other side. He saw two moving platforms spinning in a circle. He jumped on one and it took him to the door that he had opened before.

He walked through the door into a little hallway. There was a pool in the middle and a piece of metal that stuck out on the other side. "Watch out buddy. Don't forget what happened the last time you stepped in water." Jak nodded and backed up a few feet. He took a running start and rolled. At the end of the roll, he pushed both his legs forward and went flying over the seven-foot gap. He landed neatly with a somersault and gave Daxter that clearly said "so there." Daxter stuck his tongue out at Jak, who rolled his eyes. They both grinned and ventured through the next door. He entered a relatively small room that had two levitating platforms in front of him, and another door about fifteen feet away. Jak stood on one of the platforms and the other one started circling the one Jak was on. Jak stepped onto the moving platform and it stopped moving. The other one, however, started circling the one Jak was on. Jak used this method to get to the other door, which he opened by Channeling Blue Eco into it.

The next hallway contained about twenty or so red-hot pipes. Jak carefully made his way through the hallway, avoiding all of the pipes. As he made his way out, he felt a searing pain go across his left foot. Looking down, Jak saw he had stepped on a pipe carefully imbedded into the ground. Jak quickly healed with Green Eco before the wound became serious, and steeped into the next room. There were two more platforms like the previous room right in front of him again, and what looked like a Power Cell inside a red cylinder off in the distance. Jak rode the platforms over to the Power Cell and tried to break the glass. Since he wasn't strong enough, he activated his Red Eco Box and delivered a sidekick to the glass. All that he achieved was a pain in his foot. Jak turned off his Red Eco Box and triggered his Yellow Eco one. He lets a moderately powerful blast of energy go three inches from the glass and turned off the Eco Box. When the dust cleared, Jak saw he hadn't made any progress in breaking the glass. Disappointed, he sat down and to his left saw a stitch. Ignoring Daxter's laughter, he stepped on it and turned around. In a flash of red light, the Power Cell was sucked up a pipe and transferred out into the open about one hundred feet away. Jak looked for a pathway quickly; his ears had once again picked up a faint ticking sound. Platforms that were moving periodically in and out of the wall seemed to be his only route, so Jak took it. After about a minute of perfect timing and jumping, Jak reached the Power Cell and watched Daxter break dance as he put it in his side pouch. Jak went back to the unbreakable glass and wished he could bring a piece of it back to the village so Keira could study it. Jak shook his head to clear it and went to a tower made out of the pipes. Jak noticed blue spots and hoped that they were cool. He put his hand lightly up to a blue spot and felt it; to his surprise, it felt pleasantly warm. Jak climbed the twenty-foot tower and went down a staircase. At the bottom was a pool with moving platforms around a circular platform on the middle. Jak's heart leapt, on the center platform was the twentieth Power Cell. Jak jumped onto one of the platforms and it started to vibrate. Jak quickly jumped off as the platform turned sideways, which would have sent him falling into the pool below. Jak grabbed the last Power Cell he would need for the heat shield and made his way to the next room.

As soon as he entered, three spinning blades came at his Jak stood calmly, ignoring Daxter shriek that made his ears ring, and used some Yellow Eco to send an energy blast that made them melt. After that, Jak looked around. There was a whirlpool in the center of the room and two hallways. Jak looked at Daxter, who pointed silently to the left; his last scream had left his throat hurting. Jak made his way down a hallway much like the one from before with the water on the bottom and a piece of metal jutting out from the other side. Jak once again did a rolling jump, landing with plenty of room to spare. Jak stepped into another room that had a Power Cell on a raised platform in the distance and a button on the floor. As usual, electrified water filled the gap between the Power Cell and Jak. Jak smashed the switch down, and jumped forward as soon as he saw a platform come up out of the water. Jak jumped to another, but as he was making the final jump, the platforms started to go down. Jak quickly used Blue Eco to just barely make the jump. He clung desperately to the ledge and pulled himself slowly up. He collected the Power Cell and pushed the button. Jak went much faster this time around and made it back to the beginning with about half a second to spare. He was about to go back to the room with the whirlpool in the center when he noticed a hallway leading down. Jak started down it, but suddenly, he slipped and started to slide down.

Jak desperately to stand up but kept slipping. Eventually, he resolved to stay on the slide and tried his best not to hit anything. He steered to the left to avoid a pipe, and leaned so that he wouldn't drift as the hallway turned. Jak kept dodging the pipes, he steered right, then left, all the while trying not to run into the walls. Jak made a sharp turn to the right as the passageway narrowed and pipes started lining up the left wall. Jak gritted his teeth as he got close to the pipes and felt the heat come off of them. He jumped three times over the pipes that were stretched across the floor and landed in a really tall chamber with a Power Cell waiting for him on a platform three feet away. As Jak grabbed the Power Cell, the platform he was on sank, just like a giant button. The door that had led to the slide he had just came out of slammed shut. Jak heard an alarm blaring, and a gushing sound caught his attention. He looked down and saw Dark Eco rising. Jak's eyes widened in horror as Daxter found his voice once more.

"Run Jak. I don't want to turn into old log-in-the-head." Jak did not need to be told twice. He leapt to the other side of the chamber and charged up at a Blue Eco Vent. He ran to his right and jumped on a Launch Pad, propelling himself a hundred feet in the air and landing on a platform. Jak ran across the walkway, jumping over the gaps and the Dark Eco crates that were littered everywhere. After two hundred feet or so, Jak did a long jump over a pipe and squatted down. He jumped ten feet into the air and grabbed the ledge above him. Looking down, he saw that the Dark Eco was still rising, so he continued, running as fast as his legs would carry him. He jumped over another pipe and saw three of those platforms that would slide into the wall. He waited and timed his jumps, all the while the knowledge that the Dark Eco was getting closer doing nothing to calm him down. He charged up against another Blue Eco Vent and launched himself again. To his surprise, he landed on another Launcher Pad that was on the wall. His reflexes kicked in, and he jumped again. The last pad sent him through a hole in the ceiling, and as the floor sealed under him, ensuring the Dark Eco would remain in that chamber, he spotted another Power Cell inside a door. As he took it out, the door opened. Jak looked around and saw that he was in the room with the slide that had brought him to that accursed room in the first place. Jak took his time, now that there was no immediate danger, to sit down and have some food with Daxter.

After a well-deserved meal, Jak went back to the original room, the one with a whirlpool in the middle. Jak decided he might as well see what was down this corridor, there was no way in Legatee he was going back towards the other room. He swam through a pool that thankfully was not in danger of electrocuting him and emerged to find himself in yet another room. This one appeared to be simple. There was a far section of the room that was glowing, and separating the two rooms was another pool of Dark Eco. The only way across was a walkway that was moving under a glowing pipe. Jak made his way across the pipe and saw the source of the glow. Thirteen dull platforms were floating in a pool of electrified water. Across the water was a closed door. Jak jumped onto a platform, and was surprised to see it glow blue. Jak jumped along seven more platforms, each of them turning blue when he landed on them. He arrived at the door and waited for it to open. It didn't, so Jak Channeled Blue Eco into the door. It had no effect whatsoever. Jak then noticed that only seven of the thirteen spirals were glowing, the same number as the tiles he had stepped on. Jak figured the puzzle out and turned around. He landed on each of the other eight platforms and turned around. The door was now open, much to Jak's satisfaction. "Way to go Jak. Those old Precursors' weren't smart enough to outsmart you." Jak flashed Daxter a grin and jumped to the door. As he did so, he landed on a glowing platform. The platform went dull and the door closed. Jak leapt into the air and landed on the platform that was now dull. It went back on. Jak charged up with Blue Eco and made a desperate leap for the door. Although his hands gripped the edge, his feet landed deep enough in the water to make his legs go numb. The numbness quickly spread, and Jak quickly pulled himself up. After catching his breath, he recharged with Green Eco and collected the Power Cell. He looked around and saw an elevator and six towers about as tall as he was. At the top was a small blue ball. Jak tentatively Channeled Blue Eco into the ball and it began spinning. Jak quickly did the same for the other five, barely reaching the last one with the small amount of Eco he had remaining. The elevator rose up, and Jak sat down; the day's adventures were beginning to take their toll on his body.

When the elevator stopped, Jak found himself in a chamber even bigger than the one at the very beginning of the temple. He saw a Blue Eco Vent and gladly recharged his box and his body. He saw a Precursor Launcher Pad and took it. As he bounded forward, he looked down to see where he could land. To his horror, he had jumped into a bottomless pit, with only another Launcher Pad hovering nearby. Jak struggled to make his way to land on the Pad. Luckily, he did. Jak continued in this way for about three minutes before reaching solid ground again. He looked around and spotted a small piece of Precursor metal with the Blue Eco symbol engraved on it. Jak Channeled a small amount of Blue Eco into it and it rose up, revealing another path. Jak inwardly groaned, he had been hoping to reach the end of the temple, but he had no idea how much longer it would take to get to the end and reach the Blue Eco Switch.

Jak made his way down the hallway, where a blue light awaited him. Jak sped up, eagerly awaiting to see what would give off such a light. He went through a doorway to reveal a beautiful chamber with a strange statue at the other side of the room. Jak made his way carefully across the room, on guard for any booby traps. Thankfully, there appeared to be none, and he arrived before the statue that had been giving off the blue light he had seen before. The statue was in the shape of a skull, with two Power Cells in his eyes, and a ball of Blue Eco in his mouth. As he neared it, the eyes lit up, and the voice from his dreams emanated from the statue. "Who awakens the Oracle? Wait, one of you has the light within. From before time, I have watched, and waited, for the true hero to return. As a reward for surviving my sanctuary, I will give you three gifts. I will give you two Power Cells, the answer to one question, and I will bestow upon you new Eco Powers. Now, step into this circle, and you will be rewarded with new abilities." Jak nodded and took a step forward into a circle that was right in front of him that was glowing bright blue. Suddenly, the two eyes of the Oracle glowed and two beams of Blue Eco shot out. They hit Jak right in the chest and he was lifted off the ground a couple of inches. Jak hugged his chest and closed his eyes, as this stung like Legatee. Daxter hopped off of Jak and watched in a mixture of horror and fascination. Suddenly, the stings passed away, and a wonderful feeling of content passed over Jak. "I grant you a power associated with the energy of Blue Eco. While you are Channeling Blue Eco, this power will allow you to make objects levitate. Now for the matter of the question. I have looked into your heat. You wish to make the girl called Keira happy. To do this, you know you must help your village and turn on the Blue Eco Switch that is hidden in this Temple. It is beyond this room. In the next room, you will face the Switch's guardian, whom I am forbidden to give you information about. To help you, I shall recharge you Eco Boxes." A beam of Blue Eco shot out of the Oracles mouth again, and came to rest on the Blue Eco Box. It was accompanied by a blast of Green Eco from the Oracle's left eye, Red Eco from its right eye, and a blast of Yellow Eco flowed out of the hole above the Oracle's mouth. Each beam landed on their respective Box, and the Green Eco also healed the cuts and burns on his body. "Now, take my Power Cells and go, quickly. I sense a great evil drawing near, an evil of which you already know of. There is no more time for questions, you must leave."

Jak nodded and bowed to the Oracle. He reached up and took the two Power Cells out of the Oracle's eyes and the entire statue went dark. A door behind the Oracle opened up and Jak went through. His eyes widened in surprise. When the Oracle said that the switch had a guardian, Jak had been expecting an elf, or something of that nature. He had not, however, been prepared to fight a seven foot tall Petra Flytrap. Jak stared in awe for a second before he grinned and adopted a fighter's stance. He ran at the plant, preparing to engage it, when suddenly an explosion from behind him threw him off his feet. "What the hell was that? Sheesh, I thought that ugly Oracle thingy said that it would power down." Jak turned around to see the source of the blast. Less than an inch away from his face was the face of the leader of the Lurker Tribe, the man he had seen that night almost a week ago on Misty Island. Jak stared in horror into the man's eyes and saw the madness within. The man let out a long laugh at the sight in Jak's eyes, he loved seeing that look. The look of terror as his prey stared into his eyes. "Oh my god. Damn, you look uglier than a pile of Yakow crap, but that doesn't mean you have to smell worse than it does too. Who the hell are you anyway," Daxter asked, holding his nose and turning away from the ghastly stench that came out of the man's mouth.

"Congratulations, you stupid fur ball. When Dark Eco reigns everywhere, you will be the first to be tortured. As for who I am, it really is none of your concern. Ah, the Channeler. If I am not mistaken, you took out fifty-two of my Lurkers on Misty Island a couple of days ago." The man diverted his attention to the plant behind Jak. "That pitiful pant is this Temple's excuse for a guardian? I'd hate for you to be denied of a true fight. Let me make it a bit more interesting." The man's eyes bulged and he stretched his arm out. A stream of dark liquid flowed through the air and forced its way into the plant through its mouth, its roots, and even its eyes. The plant roared and shrieked in pain as the Dark Eco infiltrated its body and mutated it. It became twenty feet tall and its vines became a dark greenish gray and spouted two-inch thorns everywhere. Its face swelled and its eyes became pure black, and its mouth expanded and showed several rows of razor sharp teeth. To top it off, its face turned a sickly shade of purple and it let out a deafening roar that seemed to shake the entire cavern. "Well now, I'll just take these and be on my way." The old man made his way to five disks whose diameter was about equal with Jak's height. He put his hand on the disks and they vanished in a puff of purple smoke. Before vanishing, the mysterious necromancer turned around and waved to Jak. "Have fun." He vanished, leaving Jak alone with this bigger, and significantly more powerful version of the Precursor Blue Eco Temple's Guardian.

"C'mon Jak, you and me will show this thing whose boss." Jak nodded and prepared for the fight of his life. The plant let out an earsplitting screech and lashed out. Jak quickly jumped int the air, turning on his Yellow Eco Box as he did so. He landed about twelve feet or so from the head and quickly let off six quick light blasts. They seemed to have no effect on the plant whatsoever. Jak frowned, he hadn't expected those blasts to exactly destroy it, but he expected a scratch at the very least. Jak started to do what he should have done at the beginning; he took in his surroundings. He saw a few barrels lining the walls, a door beyond the now even further mutated plant, and a humongous structure suspended from the ceiling. The plant let out another roar and sent its vines at Jak. He leapt up and flipped on his Red Eco Box. As he started to descend, he angled his body so that his fist connected with the plant's head. The monster let out a shriek of pain as it went flying backwards into the wall. Jak smiled as he prepared to strike again, but then the plant wrapped him up and started squeezing his body. Jak struggled and by activating his Red Eco Box, was able to jump away. As he landed, he collapsed; the thorns on the vines had dug into his skin and he was losing blood. Jak fell to the ground as he prepared for a gruesome death.

"Hang on buddy, I'll save ya." Daxter scampered off of Jak's shoulder and tuned on his Green Eco Box. Jak smiled weakly as a wonderful feeling of numbness flowed over his body, then he stood up strong. The plant was confused; not a second ago its prey had been dying, and now it was restored to full fitness? The plant screeched in fury, causing Jak to cover his ears. The Dark Eco Plant took this opportunity to take a deep breath and let out a torrent of flames aimed right at Jak. Jak, although he was unable to use his legs, was well capable of jumping ten feet backwards to avoid it. Jak began circling the plant, trying to discover any weaknesses in its body. To his dismay, the plant seemed impenetrable. He tried to get closer to the head of the plant, planning to blow it off with a Yellow Eco blast. Jak realized that he would have to distract the plant to have any hope at destroying it. Jak ran as far away from the plant as the room would allow and pried Daxter's body off of his shoulder. He set Daxter on the floor and pointed at him, then at the plant.

"You want ME to fight THAT? Are you insane?" Jak shook his head and made circling motions with his finger. "You want me to distract it? And what, might I ask will that accomplish?" As a response, Jak pointed to his Yellow Eco Box. Understanding suddenly lit up in Daxter's eyes and he nodded. "All right, I'll do it. When we get back to the village, you have to convince Lauren to giver me mouth-to-mouth." Jak mentally questioned his friends motives and nodded. Daxter started running around the plant in an attempt to distract it.

"Man, I hope this works," Jak thought as he began Channeling all of his power into his hands, preparing to dump all of his energy into one big attack. About ten seconds before his Box ran out of Eco, he heard a scream. Looking over at the plant, Jak saw it had captured Daxter and was preparing to devour his friend. Without a second thought, Jak leapt over to the plant and tried desperately to get to its mouth before it ate his friend. As he saw it about to devour his formally buck-toothed friend, he leapt with a strength he did not know he possessed. He grabbed Daxter from the monster's grip and let his blast off less than an inch away from the monster's head. He leapt back and put the frozen rodent into his backpack. He looked over at the plant, sure that it was destroyed and retched back when he saw it didn't even have a scratch. Even worse, the blast of energy he had hurled at the plant was now aimed right at him; the plant had somehow caught it in its mouth. It looked over at him and Jak quickly activated his Blue Eco Box and shot into the air just as the blast was shot back at him. Another explosion behind him caused him to turn around. The beam of energy had hit the barrel and now Jak saw that it was full of some kind of flammable liquid. Jak grinned; now he might have a way to conquer his adversary. Jak Channeled Red Eco into his body and tried to lift one of the barrels. As much as he tried, all the barrel did was absorb his Eco as soon as he touched it. Puzzled, Jak let go of the barrel, trying to think of a way to get the contents onto the plant.

"Warrior, use the power that I bestowed unto you," a voice rang in his head. Jak shook his head; it was the voice of the Oracle.

"But how? How do I know how to use this power?"

"When you Channel my Eco, and clear your mind, you will know."

"That's really helpful," Jak thought bitterly. "Ok, here goes nothing." Jak closed his eyes and Channeled Blue Eco. He cleared his mind and felt a calling. He raised his left arm and opened his eyes. To his amazement, he saw the barrel of flammable liquid floating in midair. It was glowing with a faint, light blue aura. Jak moved his hand a little, and the barrel moved to the left. Jak smiled and turned around. Jak turned around and made a throwing motion with his body, like he was throwing a Kappa ball. The barrel flew at the plant; the sheer force of the impact alone sending the entire plant back ten feet. Jak saw the contents splash on the plant and he sent his last blast of Yellow Eco at it. The plant let out a horrible death shriek as it felt an inferno rise up around it. After five minutes, it was nothing more than a pile of ashes. Jak walked past the plant confidently. As he entered what he hoped was the last room, he saw a tub that contained a huge Blue Eco Orb in the center. Jak guessed that this was the switch and tried to push a hovering piece above it down. He then tried using Red Eco, and as a last resort, used his new power to move things with Blue Eco. Nothing worked. Jak then saw eight slots for Power Cells. Sighing, Jak started filling them in, ignoring Daxter's protests. Jak groaned mentally, now they were back down to eighteen. Jak put the last one in, and still nothing happened. Jak looked on the top of the structure and saw a ninth slot. Jak groaned again, now they would need three more Power Cells in order to power the heat shield for the Zoomer. The top half of the Switch fell and a great light erupted all over the room. A floor panel flipped and revealed a teleporter gate and a sack with the number two hundred on it. Daxter ran over to the sack and peered inside.

"Holy crap. Jak, there's two hundred Precursor Orbs in here!" Jak ran over to the sack in disbelief and saw Daxter was correct; if the number on the sack was any indication, there were two hundred Power Cells. Suddenly, Jak's communicator went off.

Keira's light bubbly voice came over the speaker. "Wow, I guess you guys did it. Blue Eco Vents have activated all over the world." Jak smiled at her tone, she sounded happy. "With this power, we might actually survive the Lurker attack." Daxter chose this point to talk; he hadn't spoken in ten minutes, and that was his limit.

"Hold up, honey. How did you know we, or rather, I turned the switch on?"

"Because it turns out that there's a Blue Eco Vent right by my garage. When can you guys get back, the Lurkers are all here, so they are probably going to attack tomorrow."

"There's a gate here sweet cheeks, we'll be back in a few."

"Daxter, stop calling me those kinds of names. I'll see you guys in a few minutes."

Jak turned his communicator off and walked over to the sack of Precursor Orbs. Holstering it up onto his shoulder, he jumped into the teleporter, back to his village, his home, his Keira.

* * *

Hey, sorry it took so long to update, I have finals. Well, here's chapter seven, so read, review, and please submit and thoughts, good or bad, to me and I will gladly take them into consideration. 


	8. Motives Unveiled

Red Mage 04: Actually, I didn't even think of Indiana Jones, because I've never seen him. Unfortunately you won't see the martial arts style for a few chapters, but before he leaves Rock Village, he will be doing some awesome stuff.

Sushi0chan1363: Thank you for the compliment, and your work has been top notch as well. Thank you for making me feel I put enough detail into it (I was worried I hadn't put enough actually.) That girl will come up again, as she will play a part. Not a major one, but she will be mentioned again. As you said, summer is here and thankfully, I passed all my finals :D.

Hey everyone.Sorry it took so long. I've been suffuring from a horible disease known as Writer's block for a week, and then my Internet Connection freaked out on me, so, I'm sorry it took so long. Hopefully, this chapter will make it up to you.

Disclaimer: I don't own ayone except my new characters, nor do I own anytrhing from Nintendo Corporation.

* * *

Motives Unveiled 

"Um Jak, where the hell are we?" Daxter inquired, since the gate that he and Jak had leapt through had not taken them back to their home of Sandover, as they had been expecting, but to the bottom of what appeared to be a valley about three hundred feet or so below ground level, and about ten feet wide.

Jak shrugged his shoulders in response; he had no more idea where they were than Precurian Theoretical Physics. He chose a direction and started walking; hoping that up ahead would give him some clue as to where he was.

* * *

"Daddy, where's Jak?" Keira asked apprehensively. 

"I have no idea. Didn't Daxter just say that they had completed the temple, and would be here in a minute?"

"Well, that's what he _said_, but that's not what happened." Keira sulked, pouting that she would not be able to see Jak as soon as she had hoped.

Samos chuckled at his daughter's impatience. He hoped that she was not going to become attached to Jak, but he also knew that she would. "Keira, I have to do some research, so if you don't mind..."

"Sure Dad," she said with a smile. "I think I'll go see Lauren."

"Where's Kristen?"

"She's sick with the Cucco-pox."

"Do you want me to take care of that, a simple disease should be no trouble at all to cure?"

"No, her mom wants it to run its course, and she put her little brother in there with he so that he'll become immune to it."

"Hmm. That is a very wise decision." Seeing Keira's puzzled look, he continued. "This will allow both of them to become stronger by letting the disease run its natural course."

Keira nodded, but then she became very sad. Samos noticed and looked at her.

"What's wrong?"

Keira started crying, "What if Jak is lost, or hurt, or dead?"

Samos patted his only daughter on her shoulder reassuringly. "Keira, I've trained Jak how to use Eco very well. He is perfectly capable of taking care of himself, and you know he would rather die than cause you any pain." He gave Keira a hug and allowed her to cry on his shoulder.

* * *

"Oh crap. RUN!" Daxter screeched as he fused himself onto Jak's should once more. Jak didn't need the smack in the face, or scream in the ear to know that there was danger, but after gaining new powers, he no longer had to run. He calmly stood still as the renegade Lurker Ram charged him, its eyes showing its burning desire for revenge at what Jak had done to its brethren. When it was less then a foot away Jak activated his Blue Eco Box and held his hand out. The Ram immediately was lifted off the ground, still running to get to Jak. Jak turned his palm up and made a "come and get me" motion with his fingers. The Ram was launched into the air, where it was promptly incinerated by a Yellow Eco blast, courtesy of Jak. Jak continued walking, and took some time to put his arms on the back of his head and stretched, looking up at the night sky as he did so. Jak did a double take, it had been afternoon when he had last looked at the sky, so he had been walking for at least three hours. Yawning, he sat down with his back against the rock and closed his eyes, resting his hands on his Eco Containers; ready to turn them on at a second's notice.

* * *

"So, where's Jak?" Lauren asked. From what Keira had said, Jak was supposed to have arrived back at the village last night. "And weren't you supposed to come over?" 

"I know Lauren, but something went wrong and we don't know where he is" Keira said, her eyes showing her concern and worry for Jak.

Lauren saw this and Keira wanting to cry some more, so she quickly tried to get Keira's mind off of Jak, or at least reassure her. "Listen Keira, Jak is going to be fine. You'll see. This is probably just another prank of Daxter's; their probably still sitting at the Temple."

Keira looked at Lauren with eyes that were now, in addition to being worried for Jak, showing that she was extremely pissed off. "How could you even think that. You know Jak would rather eat Lurker liver than make me worry about anything."

Lauren made as if to argue, but then realized that Keira had made a valid point. "Ok, maybe this isn't a joke. But don't worry, I'm sure their fine. Remember when Jak took out those forty-something Lurkers on Misty Island?"

Keira nodded and mentally slapped herself; she was being stupid. "Thanks Lauren, that was just what I needed. Are you going to fight the Lurkers? Because we're going to need every able-bodied person we can get, now that Jak isn't going to be here."

Lauren stood up, her eyes blazing with determination. "Of course. I could never live with myself if I didn't help to defend my hometown. Have you invented anything to help the village."

Keira rolled her eyes at Lauren. "Of course. I started working on these right after Jak left three days ago. I have about five hundred so far."

"Five hundred what?" Lauren asked, her face looking like a puppy's again.

Keira laughed at her friend's enthusiasm. "It's a tiny piece of metal from that big sheet of metal I found that time on Sentinel Beach, do you remember?" Lauren nodded her head and continued bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. "Well, I melted the pieces into spheres, and then dipped them in Eco. Now all I need is a slingshot to see if my theory is correct."

Lauren silently thanked her friend for not speaking in a dialect of English known as Technical. "Why do you need a slingshot?"

"Well, if I'm right, by charging the metal with Blue Eco, it just might allow them to travel really fast."

"Meaning?" Lauren inquired, as she didn't see where Keira was going with this.

"Meaning that if something really small moved really fast, it might allow the metal to go right through a Lurker's body." Lauren made an understanding noise with her mouth and marveled at Keira's imagination. "C'mon, we have a few hours before the Lurkers attack; while everyone is suiting up and getting ready, I'll let you have one of the slingshots, since you are one of the best slingshoters we have."

Lauren flashed a toothy grin and hugged Keira for letting her use her new invention. "How many people are you going to let use the, uh, what do we call these things?"

Keira looked puzzled; she hadn't thought of a name for her new invention yet. "How about HAPS?"

"HAPS?"

"Yea, HAPS. H A P S. Highly Advanced Projectiles of Speed. HAPS."

"Good name. Now, lead me to the HAPS."

"Ok, but you can only have one hundred, since I'm going to split it up between five people. Me, you, Brian, Mike and I haven't decided who is going to be Lucky NumberFive yet."

"What about Pete?"

"Who is Pete?"

"Oh, he's a genius when it comes to launching things. One time, he took down four pelicans with a single rock. But he's kinda weird, he doesn't have any friends, and all day he stays locked up in his room."

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go find him."

* * *

Jak woke up and stretched; his night had once again been full of nightmares about demons and Dark Eco. He looked over and saw that his furry companion was still sound asleep. He shook Daxter awake, turned on his communicator and set the frequency for Keira. 

"Jak? Is that you? Oh my Precursors, where are you guys? Are you hurt? Are you-"

"Sweety, I'm fine. Oh and Jak's good too, even though he should be; I've been doing most of the work."

Keira rolled her eyes and ignored Daxter calling her "sweety." "So where are you guys, didn't you say that you would be back at the village last night?"

"Oh sure, pin it on the former elf now rat. That's discrimination of the worst kind, Keira: the kind against me."

"Daxter..." Keira said in a warning tone.

"Okay, okay, sheesh. We have absolutely no idea where the Legatee we are, but there is a Precursor Trans-Pad up ahead, so can you lock onto that signal and send us both the Zoomer and information as to where we are?"

"Sure hang on a second."

"You see Jak; I told you Keira loved me." Daxter bragged. Jak rolled his eyes and restrained himself from smacking his best friend.

"Okay, I got it. You guys are in the northern most sector of the Forbidden Jungle. If you guys get on the Zoomer, just head Southwest until you hit a fork, and then you travel south. You'll emerge from the valley behind Farmer Zeb's farm."

"Okay baby. We'll be back to the village as soon as we can manage it. When will the Lurkers attack?"

"Any minute now, but my dad decided to engage them instead of letting them come to us. It'll be a bit tougher, but he doesn't think we should let them enter the village."

"We'll go as fast as we can." Daxter said, all repartee from his voice obliterated as he shut the communicator off. Jak turned his Blue Eco Box on and started running as fast as he could, his eyes blazing with determination. Daxter started to make a comment about how much Jak wanted to impress Keira, but decided not to; as a best friend there were certain areas about Jak's life that he didn't tease him about. Jak leaped fifty feet into the air, catching Daxter by surprise. He landed neatly on the Zoomer and went off at top speed. Daxter shrieked and wound his entire body between the strands of Jak's hair.

"Come on you guys, let's show these monsters what we're made of," Keira shouted as Lauren, Pete (who they had persuaded to help them use the HAPS's against the Lurkers), Brain, Mike and herself fired the new projectiles at the Lurkers at Sentinel Beach. Before the Lurkers could mount a counter-attack, the HAPS had caused about eighty or so had fallen, most of them being Generals. This was Keira's attack plan; without the Generals to maintain order, the Scouts panicked and were very easy to dispose of.

* * *

Meanwhile, at the village, Samos was taking command of the village temporarily until the threat of the Lurkers had passed. "I do not know why the Lurkers are trying to engage and conquer this village. But I for one will not allow them to, because if we do, then whatever they desire from us they will have." Roars of approval met this announcement. The villagers grabbed hoes, axes, rakes, clubs, and anything else they could lay their hands on. Farmer Zeb had gotten his Yakows together and had gotten them to charge at the sight of any Lurkers. 

"Charge you old lazy varmints. Go on, get!" Farmer Zeb shouted as his Yakows rampaged through the Lurker camps, not pausing to go around the Lurkers; they preferred to go straight through them instead.

* * *

As Jak passed a broken and burnt bridge, he slowed down. He looked up and saw the bridge of metal that he had created, so that must mean that this was the one that he had seen that girl on. As he looked around, he saw no trace of her, nor did he see any tracks that could have meant someone else had found her. All he saw were a set of footprints leading away from the body imprint in the ground. Jak was baffled at this, his infared goggles hadn't shown any heat coming from her, so she must have been dead.But then what could these tracks mean. "Jak, let's go, we're needed at the village," Daxter reminded him. Jak shook his head as if getting rid of an unwanted insect and gunned the motor, and then took off at top speed again.

* * *

All of a sudden, in the middle of the attack, Samos' communicator went off and he looked down. "Damn it, this is very inconvenient," he grumbled as he struggled to keep the Lurkers away. Letting out a fearsome roar, he slammed his staff into the ground and a massive blast of Green Eco blew every Lurker within fifty feet away. He grabbed his communicator and turned it on. "What is it?" He said, trying not to snap, as he knew only Keira would call him. 

"Daddy, we have trouble at the village. We're out of HAPS's and the Lurkers are sending more and more of their army towards the village." Keira exclaimed, sounding extremely worried.

"What in the world are they looking for?" Samos conjectured aloud.

"I have no idea dad."

Samos sighed and rubbed his forehead; after every possible outlook on rationale for the attack, he still had no idea what they were after. "Where do they seem to be aiming for?"

"Well I don't know why, but they seem to be aiming for your hut. I can't imagine why."

Samos' eyes widened, as he comprehended their reason for attacking the village. "Listen to me Keira; you must not allow them to get to my hut. They are after a very powerful Precursor artifact that I have hidden there."

"Ok dad, but what kind of artifact is it?"

"It is something I found when I explored a cave in Volcano Village with the Red Sage. We went to try to conquer the Green Eco Temple over there, but we couldn't. All we found near the entrance was an enormous disk. Upon further inspection, I discovered that it was in fact a Green Eco Generator. It will shoot out a highly concentrated blast of Green Eco."

"What could they want with that?"

"If they were to make a Green Eco Blast hit any dead thing; it would come back to life. That much I have tested, on that Petra Flytrap I have in my hut. But according to what I've read on Precursor History, if it was used to shoot a blast of energy onto any non-living object, the object itself will come to life."

Over on the other line, Keira eyes widened as she realized just how powerful of an artifact was hidden in her father's house. "No wonder the Lurkers want it, with that kind of power, they could revive all of the Lurkers we kill today and no one would be able to stop them. I'll move my section of fighters to defend around your hut. But I don't think even that will be enough. We're going to need your squadron's assistance if the Lurkers turn their full force on your hut."

"Even that won't be enough Keira. We need Jak. When will we get here?"

"If he goes as fast as he can on the Zoomer and he doesn't hit any snags, he should get here in half an hour."

"Alright. We will simply have to hold the Lurkers off until he arrives. We will make our way over to you now Keira."

"Okay dad," Keira said as she shut her communicator off and turned to her friends. "Jak won't be here for another half an hour at least, but Daddy's making his way over to us. He said the Lurkers are after a powerful artifact called the Green Eco Generator in his hut." Pete, Brain, Lauren and Mike nodded and started grabbing various objects and threw them at the Lurkers, as they no longer had any HAPS's left. As they made their way to Samos' hut, Brian grabbed an ax and a gigantic hammer that weighed at least fifty pounds. He carried them to the hut and started stretching, preparing to start fighting the Lurkers in hand-to-hand combat. Mike grabbed a pair of spiked gloves that were normally used to climb trees. Keira ran into her garage and began working on the last thing she had begun working on before the Lurkers had attacked: a Green Eco Drainer. She had planned to use it to sap the Green Eco out of the Lurkers nearby and kill them, but she needed her father's help to finish it. She pulled a bow and quiver full of arrows out of a hidden compartment in her house. She had two and had been saving them for such an occasion. She tossed one to Lauren and kept on for herself. The two of them climbed onto Samos' hut and put two quivers onto their shoulders each.

"I thought that you were going to use that Green Eco Drainer you were trying to build." Lauren whispered.

"I can't finish it; I don't know enough about Eco to make it. I asked my father last night and he said that it would take him more than a week to build it properly. So I guess I'll just put it on hold for now and build it when I get around to it."

"Oh. Well, if we go down and die today, I just want you to know that I treasure our friendship, and, and I wouldn't want to die fighting with anyone else. We should do good, everyone has a weapon."

"Wait, what's Pete going to use? Mike has those things that we use to climb trees, and Brian has the hammer and an ax, but he doesn't have anything." Keira wondered out loud.

"You're right. He's just standing there at the end of the bridge, as if he's waiting for the Lurkers to attack." Lauren whispered back. "Speaking of which, where are the Lurkers? I thought for sure that they would follow us here right away."

"They must be massing their forces. Maybe Dad managed to distract - oh crap, here they come. You ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Lauren said with a grim look on her face.

Both Keira and Lauren took an arrow out of their quiver and took aim, planning to take fire as soon as the Lurkers got past Pete; who was still standing stock still at the end of the bridge connecting the small island on which the hut stood and the village.

As the Lurkers charged the hut, they saw a single solitary elf standing alone, his coat blowing faintly in the wind. They grinned evilly; this elf would shortly become dinner. As they got within twenty feet, they were surprised that the ones leading the charge had suddenly stopped. As the Scouts looked at the Generals in front, puzzled, the heads of the Generals, helmet and all, slid off of their necks and onto the ground. As they looked at each other in bafflement, three of the Scouts developed a curious condition; a pea-sized hole appeared in their heads and they all slumped down dead. The remaining Lurkers looked more closely at the elf that they had thought would be easy to kill. They noticed a curious piece of metal in his left hand. It looked to be about an inch thick and was a foot and a half, bent at a ninety-degree angle in the middle. They recognized it as a boomerang, but had never seen it actually kill a Lurker. Pete threw it again and the ones that didn't die saw that he had put razors all over the perimeter of the weapon. He raised his right hand and they saw he was holding that slingshot that he and the others had been using before. Right after they realized this, the seven Lurkers were killed with one HAPS each.

Brian, Mike, Keira and Lauren sat or stood still staring at Pete, amazed at his coordination and aim. "How the Legatee did you do that?" Brain asked weakly. Pete smirked.

"What do you think I did in my hut all day? But there will be time for questions later; more of them are coming."

Everyone stared at him in awe, but then shook their heads and prepared for battle. Lurkers continued to try to get across the bridge, but were killed by Pete's boomerang and HAPS or Lauren and Keira's arrows. Eventually, the Lurkers forced their way through and one of them took a wild swing at Pete. Pete did not flinch, but held his boomerang up and the Lurker's arm was sliced off. Pete began to attack the Lurkers with his boomerang using it as a sword. He killed fifty before a Worm slithered up and wrapped itself around him. It bit its tail in its mouth and squeezed until its body was locked, incapable of moving on its own. Keira noticed and killed it with an arrow. As the Lurker died, it fell off the cliff and took Pete with it, dragging him down to bottom of the ocean.

Brian stared at what had happened for a moment that seemed like an eternity and then let out a bellow of rage. He swung his weapons wildly and without concern for anything except killing the Lurkers. Suddenly, a twelve-foot tall Lurker made its way toward him. Brian paled; no matter what his motivation was, if a Lurker Warrior wanted to kill him, it would. The Warrior grabbed Brian and picked him up in its hands, ignoring the slashes Brian had made before being caught. It started squeezing his body, putting more and more pressure in his body. Brian gasped for breath and prepared to die, sorry that he would not be around to spend anymore time with his girlfriend. Keira saw and started shooting arrows as fast as she could, but nothing she did made a difference; Warriors traditionally had lots of armor and this one was no exception to that rule. Suddenly, the Warrior's grip slackened and it fell to the ground. Brian fell to the ground and collapsed. Lauren gave her quiver to Keira and hopped off the hut, dragging Brian into the garage. Keira looked down at the Warrior, confused; it wasn't like killing machines to stop living for no apparent reason. She saw Pete's boomerang sticking out of the back of the Warrior's skull. She saw a figure pull the boomerang and hook it onto his belt. Keira looked closer, he hooked it behind a box, she looked closer. He had four boxes. Keira looked up, her face shining and bright as she saw Jak's face look around. He stared at the destruction the Lurkers had caused with a mixture of awe and horror. He walked over to the hut and Keira jumped off the roof into Jak's arms. She got out of his grip and swathed Jak in her arms. Jak looked mildly surprised; he hadn't been expecting Keira to be so happy to see him, but he certainly wasn't complaining. He put his head on her shoulder and inhaled deeply, capturing her heavenly scent in his nose. They broke apart slightly and looked at each other smiling. They looked in each others and the grins slowly vanished from their faces. Jak leaned in again, once again under whatever spell had caused him to almost kiss Keira previously at the beach. As they got closer, both of them closed their eyes.

"Keira is that Jak. Ask him if he has... any..." Lauren trailed off as she emerged from the house and saw what she had interrupted. Jak looked at Lauren and then looked at the ground, embarrassed. Keira did the same; she had planned the last kiss, but this one had been spontaneous, so she was a little self-conscious about it. Jak walked into the cabin and saw Brian passed out on the floor in a puddle of blood. Jak knelt beside him and gently ran his hands up and down Brian's chest, trying to discern exactly where his injuries were. After he had pinpointed the wounds, Jak slowly Channeled Green Eco into Brian's body, being careful not to put too much. Jak remembered when he had tried to heal a hurt Croca dog when he was seven and had put too much Green Eco into the Croca dog. It dies fairly quickly, since it couldn't handle the amount of Eco that Jak had pumped into it. Jak looked over to Lauren and Keira and took in their appearances, noting every cut, every burn, every disfigurement on their skin. He stood up and walked past them both, his body giving off and undeniable sense of power, as if raw energy was radiating from his body. He exited the hut and crossed the bridge. As the Lurkers spotted him, they hesitated to attack. Although Lurkers were not the most intelligent of beasts, word of his victory on Misty Island had spread to every Lurker, so every one of them knew full well what Jak was capable of.

As Jak approached them, the Lurkers knew instantly that they were all dead. The look in his eyes was terrible to behold; they could see anger, hatred, guilt, and pain. Any one of those emotions could cause someone's power and strength to skyrocket, but they clearly saw all four. As the Lurkers stood there, debating on whether to fight a hopeless battle against the Bane of the Lurkers or run away and face the terrible wrath of their leader, they heard a cry. A Lurker Bird was circling Samos' hut, the Green Eco Generator clutched in its talons. Keira let out a cry and started wildly shooting arrows at it, missing in her panic. She looked over at Jak and was marveled at what she saw. No less then three Lurkers were levitated, their bodies surrounded by what appeared to be Blue Eco. Jak was moving his hands, and the levitating Lurkers were being flung around, into wall, other members of the tribe, anything. She shook her head and looked for the Bird, but could not see it. She saw it flying over the mountains, going north, very far to the north it seemed. "Jak, hit that Bird. Its got an artifact that they need, and Dad said not to let them get it at all costs." Jak nodded, charged up a Yellow Eco Blast, but then he didn't fire. He glared at the Bird, hating how it was too far away for him to hit, and then walked back to Keira, letting the terrified Lurkers leave the village. Keira looked at him in disbelief, but then figured it out by looking at the retreating Bird to the embarrassed and disappointed look on Jak's face. She patted his arm consolingly and turned back to the hut. "Dad's going to be really- oh no, Jak, my Dad is at Sentinel Beach, you have to help him." Jak nodded and gave Keira a reassuring nod and smile before leaping to the village, running as fast as he could to get to the beach. As he neared the Eco Collectors, he saw Samos and the other villagers surrounded by six Lurker Warriors. He took the boomerang off of his belt and prepared to throw it as hard as he could. As he hurled it with all his might, Daxter, who had up to this point been once again trying to appear as if he was merely an attachment of Jak's backpack, decided to throw a rock at the Warriors shoulder. As it turned it's head, it had its face cleaved in half by the boomerang.

Jak looked at his friend, curious as to why he alerted the Lurkers to his presence before he could strike. Daxter sighed. "Don't you remember anything Jak. Warriors have hidden armor on the back of their heads, if I hadn't of done that, all you would have done was annoy it" Jak nodded his thanks and turned his Red Eco Box on, knowing he had only about two and a half minutes of Eco left. He leaped forward and landed a punch square in one Lurker Warrior's face shattering every bone in it's skull. Another Warrior put his fists together and slammed on the ground, knocking Jak off his feet with the vibrations he caused. As Jak fell, he did a back flip and landed on a Warrior's chest, caving it in and getting his foot caught in side the Lurkers body. As he struggled to get his feet out, a fourth Warrior threw a punch at him, clearly hoping to end his life. Jak caught it's fist and slammed it onto the ground. With his last ounce of Red Eco, Jak picked up the Warrior's chest that he had caved in, at last managing to free himself from its bloody intestines. He launched it with all his might at a fifth Warrior, who was thrown off the cliff by the impact and fell into the ocean, sinking with its armor. As the last Warrior approached Jak, it realized something the other five hadn't; this opponent was capable of rebounding any physical attack that they sent at him. It smirked and picked up a boulder. A boulder three times the Warriors size. As it threw it at Jak, it roared in victory, sure that his opponent would never be able to lift that. Jak saw the small mountain heading for him and his mind numbed as he prepared to die. A scream brought him back to reality.

"JAK! YOU HAVE THE POWER TO MOVE THINGS WITH BLUE ECO ! DO IT ALREADY!" Daxter screamed, once again making Jak go deaf. Jak quickly Channeled Blue Eco and halted the rock about a second before it crushed him. He struggled to keep the rock afloat; no matter how powerful Eco was, weight was weight, and the heavier something was, the harder it was for him to move. Using every ounce of determination in his body, he hurled the small summit back at the stunned Warrior, who learned what an ant felt like after being stepped on. Jak staggered a bit as he walked, as he was almost completely drained of all forms of energy. He found Samos waiting for him as he approached the villagers, who cheered his name as he approached. He smiled briefly and then turned to Samos, who was watching him apprehensively.

"Are you alright Jak?" he asked, seeing Jak slump as he walked. Jak gave a brief nod, grinned ludicrously before fainting. Samos put his pointer and middle fingers on Jak's chest to make sure his heart was beating. To his relief, it appeared that Jak had simply fainted from exhaustion. "Daxter, is the artifact that I hid in my hut safe."

Daxter sighed and prepared for Samos to blow like Krakatoa. "A Lurker Bird snuck in and kind of stole it. He was heading north with it." Daxter flinched and looked up at Samos, ready to run for his life. To his astonishment, when Samos spoke, although there were traces of anger in his voice because of the Lurkers stealing his device, his voice was relatively calm.

"North. Could... but no, not even he would try that. Daxter, I need you to overlook Jak after I heal him, ok."

Daxter nodded, for all his humorousness, (yes that is a word.) he was not going to make a joke now; it was too serious a situation. "Yea, better me than you. If he wakes up and sees you hovering over him, he might faint from terror," he said with a grin. (Hmm. Maybe he _can_ make a joke in this serious a situation.) Samos glared at him and knocked him out with his staff.

"Steve, can you let me know when Jak wakes up. And if Daxter does too, just leave him be. Feel free to duck tape his mouth shut." Steve nodded and picked Jak's unresisting body.

Jak woke up three days later in a half built hut. He looked around and saw a man that he was pretty sure was named Steve. "Oh good your awake, I'll be back, Samos wants to talk to you." Jak nodded and tried to stand, but got dizzy and sat back down on the bed.

"Dizzy, huh buddy? That'll happen when you sleep for three days without food." Jak looked around and saw Daxter leaning up against a wall with his trademark grin firmly on his face. Jak smiled weakly as he marveled how Daxter was the only one without a mark on him. He remembered seeing everyone having some kind of scar or scratch on their body, yet Daxter, the coward, was unscathed. "Here ya go buddy. I got ol' Farmer Zeb to give me half a Yakow, which I took the liberty of roasting for you," Daxter said as he pointed to what looked like twenty pounds of steaming meat behind Jak's bed. Jak nodded his thanks and then began to viciously tear and rip the meat off of bones, eating without any decency or manners whatsoever. Dater laughed at his friends actions, between the two of them, everyone usually said that Jak was the more civilized one.

Jak continued to tear at the meat with his hands and teeth, only pausing to take ion a breath. After about five minutes, e looked up when he heard Samos enter the hut. "Are you alright Jak?" he asked as he surveyed Jak over is spectacles. Jak nodded and set down the remainder of the meat. "Now, I expect that you are curious as to why the Lurkers attacked the village?" Jak nodded and leaned closer to Samos, his face eager to learn why the Lurkers had tried to destroy all that they had built. "They were after an extremely rare and powerful artifact. Its called the Green Eco Generator. It shoots concentrated blasts of Green Eco out. These Eco charges have the power to restore life and even to bring inanimate objects to life. With the power of this device, they could easily restore the lives of any of the Lurkers that we kill." Jak's eyes widened as he began to see how powerful the artifact was, and how dangerous it was to let the Lurkers get it. "Now, I don't blame you Jak. If you had fired at that Lurker Bird, all you would have done was waste Eco, it was too far away for you to hit." Jak nodded. "Now, do you know a boy named Pete?" Jak thought and nodded. "Not very well I'm guessing. Well, Pete gave his life during the Lurker attack to protect Keira, Brian, Mike, and Lauren. That boomerang you found belonged to him, and his parents have said that they would like to talk to you. They didn't tell me what, but they said that they found something that they thought you should see. They live three houses on the right after leaving this house and turning left. I think you should go and talk to them immediately." Jak nodded and left the house, scooping Daxter up, who had been trying to look under the bathroom door at Lauren.

"Hey buddy, where we goin'?" Jak pointed to Pete's house. "Oh. Jak, they said that they only wanted to see you, so I'll go and hang out with Keira, ok." Jak gave Daxter a look that told him quite plainly that Jak believed Daxter was going back to spy on Lauren. "Oh yea, I need to drop back by Steve's house. I uh, forgot to get, um, something." Seeing the look on Jak's face, he quickly said goodbye and scuttled off.

Jak arrived at the door of Pete's house and gingerly knocked. "Oh, hello Jak," and attractive woman said as she ushered him inside. "Now, Pete was killed while protecting Keira and her friends during the attack. I don't blame her at all, but when we went through Pete's room, we found that he had written a will. In it, he said to give you four things: his boomerang, this book, a letter, and this box," she said, giving Jak each one of the items as she said it. Jak nodded and took the items. "Jak," the woman said uncertainly, "I heard what happened to Daxter and I know that you're going to try to change him back. Be careful; this village needs you." Jak nodded and walked out of the house, going back to his own, which was empty, as his uncle was still away.

He opened the letter and started to read it.

"Dear Jak,

If you're reading this, then I am dead, but I hope that I died in battle, and I hope I died fighting. Anyway, this book contains all my fighting moves that I have learned and taught myself. My boomerang is now yours to keep, but since my grandmother gave it to me when she died, I would greatly appreciate it if you buried it along with my body. This box contains something I've been working on ever since Daxter became a, whatever he is now. I call it the Hookshot. It's a spring-loaded hook that has a crystal-light-powered aiming sight. I want you to use it on your journey northward; it's bound to come in handy. Good luck.

Pete."

Jak opened the box and took out the Hookshot. It was a blue, three-dimensional octagon piece of metal with a chain wrapped around an indentation. The metal was about seven inches or so in length and had a sharp triangular piece of metal on one end. The other end had a handle made out of metal, with a trigger on one side. Another note was beside the Hookshot.

To activate the aiming mode on this, squeeze the trigger with your finger. To fire, push the button in the center of the body. DO NOT USE THIS INSIDE A HOUSE! This can be used to drag items to you, or to pull you to a distant area. The aiming sight will die out when the chain cannot extend anymore. Take it and have some fun.

Jak put the Hookshot aside and opened the book, which he found out, as he flipped through the pages, contained a myriad of moves that he could use with either the Hookshot or the boomerang. As he read it, he saw just how much these moves made sense, and he spent the remainder of the day practicing them inside his room.

The next day, Jak woke up bright and early, eager to help rebuild the village. All day, he stood in the center of town, basking in the Blue Eco Vent, using his new powers to build a new house a day. After a week, when the town had been wonderfully restored, the Mayor announced that Jak was to attend a celebration at having survived the Lurkers and rebuilding the village. After about three hours of "boring crap," as Daxter effectively entitled it, Jak was surprised to hear his name. As he walked up to the Mayor, the entire village cheered for him. He gave a sheepish smile and wave as he looked around, Keira's smiling face particularly standing out in his eyes. "Well Jak, as a reward for helping to restore the village to its former glory, I, the Mayor of Sandover Village, am proud to present you with three Power Cells so that you are able to continue on your journey to find the noble Sage, Gol Akaron." Jak took the Power Cells and bowed to the Mayor, then went to see Keira, to find out when he was to depart. Before he could even pointlessly open his mouth, she beat him to it.

"Jak, give me the twenty Power Cells and I'll hook them up the Zoomer tonight. We'll depart tomorrow morning at ten thirty, ok?" Jak nodded and gave her every Power Cell he had. He gave a Keira a hug, then made his way back to his hut so he could get some sleep.

"Watch as everything you know and love is consumed by hatred and evil!" the old man shouted as he made Jak's friends demons. Jak watched in horror as they drew closer, he saw his own reflection in their emotionless, pitiless eyes as they drew closer, their fingernails elongating to six inch claws...

"Jak, wake up, it's ten o'clock. You need to eat, we're supposed to meet Keira at Fire Mountain so we can get to Rock Village," Daxter's shrill voice said as he shook Jak awake. Jak bolted up out of bed, not bothering to get dressed and went downstairs. He found some bread and began making a sandwich.

"Hey, Jak. I just wanted to let you know the Zoomer is ready and..." Keira's voice trailed off as she saw Jak standing in his kitchen eating a sandwich, in nothing but a pair of red underwear. Her face turned redder than Red Eco as she turned around, blushing furiously. "The Zoomer's ready to go, and I'll be waiting for you at Fire Mountain," she said quickly and quietly as she practically ran out of the house, images of Jak's lean, hard body fresh in her mind.

Jak , still standing in the kitchen and blushing at the fact Keira had seen him with almost nothing on. A small part of him didn't see why either of them were embarrassed; not because he was perverted, but because neither of them had made a big deal about it when they hung out at the beach.

After getting dressed, Jak climbed the stairs leading Fire Mountain Peak and saw Keira

waiting by a Trans-Pad, his Zoomer waiting for him. Keira turned as she saw Jak and Daxter walking, or rather, Jak carrying Daxter on his shoulder as usual. She composed herself and started explaining where to go. "I've downloaded a map into the aiming screen, so you can easily find your way to the village. Just remember to be careful! The shield will only protect your Zoomer until it reaches five hundred degrees, so try to keep her cool. Flying over open lava will definitely heat you up fast! Hit five hundred degrees and it's all over!"

Daxter gulped at the word "over." "OVER! You mean like burning molten metal over!"

Keira smirked at how much of a chicken he was. "The Fire Canyon gets pretty hot, so keep a lookout for jumps to keep you off the hot ground. I've also found several cooling vents you can use to drop the shield's temperature quickly. Oh! And when you get across, don't forget to activate the teleport gate in the Blue Sage's Lab! Then we'll be able to teleport over and meet you! Good luck!" she said, giving Jak a hug, blushing as she saw under his clothes almost. Jak nodded and fired up the Zoomer, and with one backwards glance towards Keira, took off into the distance.

Sorry again, everyone. Now, I have made a Temple for each of the Eco types, with the exception of Light and Dark. After reading this chapter, I'm sure a lot of you could figure that out. I will leave it up to you to decide which temple you see next, Red or Yellow. Either one will work, but the Green is in Volcano Village with the Red Sage. If no one tells me which one they want to see, I will discontinue the storyuntill I have at least one vote. This isn't a threat, its a fact. So, I hope you enjoyed it, sorry for the delay, and remember to vote, send in ideas, reviews and even flames.


	9. Fire Canyon and a New Village

Red Mage 04- Orcarina of time was awesome. Thank you for the review, but I am sorry to say that you have been out voted so far temple-wise. If you did not recieve my email, please let me know and I will resend it. Keep up the good work yourself.

Eight-and-a-halph-tails- thank you for your review.

Keeroshu- I see you have changed your name. I was never a huge fan of Gundam Wing, but it was a good show. I just never got real into it. I'm happy to say that another perso agreed with you, and so far the red eco temple is next.

I own nothing, so don't sue me. I have nothing desireable anyway :P.

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Fire Canyon and a New Village

"Damn it," Jak thought as he did a sharp one-eighty. "I can't believe I forgot to bring the Hookshot." He ignored Daxter, who was accusing him of being too busy trying to get with Keira, whatever that meant. He shook his head; Daxter, for all his idiotic antics, seemed to know a lot more about girls then he did.

"Ah, well, knowing him, it probably concerns them being naked," he thought at he accelerated even more, bringing himself up to fifty miles an hour. All of a sudden, a piercing scream tore through the air, loud enough to make itself heard over the Zoomer. Jak raised his head from the controls; he had been making sure the heat shield was working properly. "That sounded like Keira," he thought. Pausing for only an instant, he slammed on the accelerator and weaved his way through stalagmites sticking out of the ground. He saw the clearing and slowed down so the Zoomer wouldn't get wrecked. As he landed on the Trans-Pad, he vaulted out of the Zoomer, brushing Daxter off of his shoulder so he wouldn't get hurt on the land. Jak flew off the mountain and landed after a fifty-foot drop. As he landed, he rolled to minimize the impact and damage taken.

He looked up and saw a horrifying sight. The man from Misty Island was hovering over him once again, his mad, merciless eyes bulging and his pointed teeth bared as he held out his hands and showed Jak his new acquisition. Jak's eyes widened as he saw the old man caress Keira's flat stomach, the other hand firmly placed around her neck. The psycho leered at Jak as Keira struggled, her threats and curses only coming halfway from her throat, since it is rather difficult to talk when your throat is being constricted.

"So, Jak, this is the girl who has helped you on so many occasions. I'd like to let you play a little game, with something more than a simple artifact on the line. I have found an apprentice, and she would like to challenge you," he said, as he dropped Keira on the ground. Jak darted towards her, but was thrown back by an invisible blast. The old man weaved his hands in an intricate pattern and a cage of what appeared to be solidified Dark Eco appeared around her. He smirked as she shrank back, trying not to touch the edges. "Smart idea. To one so inexperienced with Dark Eco such as you, contact with it would kill you. If you can defeat my apprentice, this cage will dissolve, and your," he smirked at his next word, "sweetheart will be freed. If you are killed, she will die, her soul will be freed, and I assure you, I will capture it, and my next apprentice will be... her." The necromancer grinned evilly as he started to dissolve before Jak's eyes. "Have fun," were his last words, before he vanished in a puff of smoke.

Jak took a combat stance, ready for battle. He, apparently, was not expecting to be punched in the back of the head, as he went flying forward, landing less than gracefully as his body hit the ground. He raised his head, only to have it seized roughly and smashed back into the ground. Dazed, his brain dimly recognized that his body was being lifted up off the ground. Seconds later, he hit the ground, a stone wall behind him showing a lovely imprint of his body's silhouette. As he hit the ground, he saw a gray mass heading for him. Assuming this was his adversary, he got to his feet and hunched over, pretending to be exhausted but really keeping an eyes on his opponents progress towards him. When it was two feet away, Jak stood up straight, leaned back, and smashed his fist into the gray creatures face, activating his Red Eco Box as well for good measure. Whatever it the creature was, it was sent flying backwards. Jak took a good look at it and received a shock: it seemed to be a demon version of the girl he had seen at the bottom of the Forbidden Jungle Ravine. It was just as he had seen in his dreams; gray skin, black eyes, horns on top f the head, fangs, and five-inch long claws. Jak eyed these apprehensively, those claws looked like they could do a lot of damage. Jak quickly engaged the monster; even if this thing looked like the girl from the Ravine, it couldn't possibly have emotions or feelings. Something this destructive couldn't possibly be elfish. And what was more, it was working for that man, so it must be evil. Jak nodded to himself, whatever this thing was, he would have to kill it.

As they fought, Keira watched with a mix of awe and horror. On the one hand, if Jak lost, not only would he die at the hands of this monster, but according to the old man, her life would be taken as well. But on the other hand, she had always been interested in hand-to-hand combat, and they were fighting each other so quickly that their limbs appeared to be blurs, each attacking viciously with no intent of letting up. Both Jak and the demon aimed a punch at the other's face. The fists met each other, and both were pushed back from the impact. Jak turned on his Yellow Eco Box and his hands glowed golden. He did the same thing he had done to the Dark Eco Plant; he fired several miniature blasts, knowing they wouldn't kill the demon but hoping they would damage it. What he saw amazed him, rather than dodge the blasts, the demon moved its hand, blocking the blasts and deflecting one right back at Jak, who dodged to the left to avoid it. Jak turned his Yellow Eco Box off and instead activated his Red Eco Box. He caught a punch aimed at his face and held onto the hand. He then aimed a punch at the demon, who caught his fist. Each of them started to try to out-muscle the other. Jak bared his teeth at the demon, who roared with frustration. It was wondering how this elf was so powerful. As each pushed their bodies to the limit, the ground beneath them started to crack from the pressure they were exerting on it.

Jak pushed with all his strength, only to find he was not strong enough to outmuscle this monster, who was starting to overbear him. Thinking quickly, he pulled on the demon's arms, landing on his back. As the devil started falling on him, he kicked out and broke a few ribs. He continued rolling, sending the dark being into the mountain, and leaving an imprint of its body right next to Jak's. The demon picked up a boulder and threw it at Jak, who stopped it with his newly found Blue Eco powers. He hurled it back at the demon, who threw a punch at it and shattered it. Letting out a bellow of rage, it again began to melee with Jak, but this time it was becoming sloppy in its anger. As it threw a wild swing, Jak caught it and pivoted, smashing it into the ground. He slammed his foot into its chest. As a nasty snapping sound filled the air, Jak shot a blast of Yellow Eco at its arm, disintegrating it completely. The Legatee-spawned being let out a howl of pain and wrenched out from under Jak's foot. Clutching its shoulder, it snarled at Jak before vanishing in a puff of smoke like its master had.

Jak glared at it, but then quickly ran over to Keira. As he neared her, her cage vanished, and she fell to the ground, unconscious. Jak put his head above her breast then checked her pulse on her wrist. She appeared to have fainted from either exhaustion or worry, Jak wasn't sure which. Jak looked at her body, taking her shirt off as he checked her body for injuries. Other than two burn marks on her neck and where the man had put his hands on her, she seemed perfectly fine. Jak's insides burned with rage at the thought of that man alone with Keira, putting his hands on his body, probably feeling and groping those parts of her body she did not show. Jak rubbed her stomach gently, to see if she had any internal bruising. As he moved his hand back and forth, Keira let out a low moan. Jak quickly took his hand off, afraid he had hurt her. As he moved his hand away, she grabbed it and placed it back on her stomach, moving it back and forth. Jak's eyes went wide, the skin beneath his fingers being soft, and yet firm with muscle. He flexed his fingers slightly, gently pressing them harder into Keira's stomach. She moaned softly again, smiling gently. Her grip slackened and her eyes fluttered open. Jak quickly removed his hand, not because he wanted to, but because he was pretty sure she would slap him like she did to Daxter whenever he felt her stomach. Keira's eyes opened fully, and she saw Jak, with his face redder than a tomato. She looked at him, but he didn't look her back in the face. Feeling a draft, she put her arms around her body, and was surprised to feel only a bra and bare skin. She quickly covered her chest, not wanting to give Daxter or any peeping Tom's a free look at her cleavage.

She looked down at her stomach, feeling a gritty substance on it. She eyed Jak's hand, which was covered in dirt. She put two and two together; judging from the dream she had just had, she had grabbed Jak's hand and made him grope her. And since Jak was so innocent, he was ashamed and embarrassed, not to mention sorry. Keira tried to think of something to say to break the ice, but she couldn't think of anything; all she could think about was Jak kissing her with only a pair of underwear on, like in her dream. Looking around, she spied a golden, twinkling rat poke its head out of the nearby bushes, only to dart back in when it was that Keira had spotted it.

"Umm, Jak," Jak looked at her, but not at her eyes. "Did Daxter paint his fur golden or something?" She asked as she pointed to the bush, where the mysterious rat had once again poked its head out. Jak looked and recognized the rat as a Muse, but didn't know of it was the same Muse the Sculptor had lost. It sniffed the air, and then darted out with a speed that caught both Jak and Keira by surprise. It sprinted towards Jak, ran up his leg and went into his backpack. It emerged a second later, with an apple and sat contently on Jak's shoulder, munching away. Jak and Keira shared a baffled look.

"You traitor!" A high pitched voice said from behind them. "Jak, I can't believe that you would go and put another rat on your... your ah..." Daxter's rant ended and Jak and Keira looked at him, it wasn't like him to be silent. Daxter's eyes seemed slightly glazed, and he was staring raptly at something. Keira followed his gaze and realized that he was staring at her uncovered chest. She grabbed Jak and put his body in front of her, shielding her body from Daxter's gaze. She whispered to Jak that she was going to get dressed and would meet him back here in thirty minutes. Jak nodded and walked back towards the village, wincing slightly as he did so; that fight hadn't been painless. He grabbed Daxter as he passed him and set him on his shoulder that was not being occupied.

As Jak walked out of his house, feeling fresh and reborn ten minutes later, he decided he would go and return the Muse. He walked through the village until he arrived at the Sculptor's house. As he walked in, the Muse on his shoulder let out a squeak of delight and landed on the boulder the Sculptor was supposed to be carving. He saw his Muse and his face transformed; going from unhappy to gleeful. He looked in his doorway and saw Jak and Daxter leaning on the door, both with smiles. "Oh, my Muse! You saved her! Oh, you really are the best! Here, take this Power Cell. I won't need it now that I got my inspiration back!" He pronounced as he tossed a Power Cell to Jak, who caught it. He and Daxter shared a high five and then walked out, hearing a chisel hit the rock repeatedly, which meant the Sculptor had already began his next project.

Jak walked back towards Fire Canyon, but was distracted by the sound of Farmer Zeb's wheezing. Walking a few feet off course, he went to see the old man slumped on a log, breathing heavily and clutching his chest. Jak walked up to him and stood there, waiting for the farmer to notice him. The old man seemed oblivious to Jak's presence however, and continued trying to catch his breath. Jak cleared his throat and tapped the farmer on his shoulder. Zeb's jumped in the air; the contact had taken him by surprise.

"Go on, get," he yammered as he grabbed a nearby rake and waved it threateningly. Jak quickly stepped back, as he didn't really want to have to fight an old man.

"Relax old-timer, its just us," Daxter said.

Farmer Zeb looked up and saw Jak properly for the first time. "Oh! It's you! Sorry, I thought you might be those pesky werewolves, tryin' to get at my sheep again. I'm just restin' my tired bones. I been tryin' to get those ornery Yakows back into the pen all day! Some strange creatures tried to steal 'em earlier. You think you can help an old man and try and get 'em back into the corral?" He asked, hope lacing his words. Jak thought and decided Keira wouldn't mind him being late of he was helping the man out. Seeing Jak not answer right away, Zeb quickly added, "It's worth a Power Cell if you can get them into the pen." Jak smiled and nodded. "Oh thank you my boy, they should be nearby."

Jak looked around and eventually spotted all fie Yakows in one place, grazing. He put his fingers in his mouth and gave a shrill whistle, expecting them to come to him. They didn't; on the contrary, they turned their backs to him and continued eating. Ignoring Daxter comment about being burned by a Yakow, he walked up to one and pushed, trying to move it, but to no avail. Deciding he had no other choice, Jak flipped his Blue Eco Box on and levitated each of the cows into the pen, one at a time. Giving Daxter a look that plainly told him to go eat his words, he marched back to Zeb and gestured towards the pen, showing the cultivator that his job was done. The old man looked surprised that Jak had finished so quickly.

"Oh, well done my boy! You actually got those fleabags back into the pen! Now I can sleep in peace. Take this Power Cell for your trouble." The grower said as he went back into his house. Jak stood there, for all his words, the farmer never gave him a Power Cell. Jak went into the old farmer's house and nearly walked into him. "Oh come on now, you really thought I would let you leave without your reward. As an added bonus, I'm gonna give you a free gallon of my famous Yakow Milk. I guarantee that it will make you feel rejuvenated after one sip." Jak nodded his thanks and went back to the Fire Canyon, walking a bit faster then he usually did to make it there on time.

"Oh good, you're hear. Listen Jak, I don't want to sound like a coward, but I was wondering if maybe I could sort of, you know... ride with you across Fire Canyon. I don't want to be alone," Keira added, seeing Jak's confused face. Jak gave her a warm smile and nodded. After reaching the Zoomer, Jak put his hands on either side of Keira's waist and lifted her into the Zoomer. Keira blushed again, this time mostly from the heat, as she noticed again how strong Jak was, and how well his figure hid it. From what she had seen that morning, his body was not particularly bulky; rather, he was small, lean, and hard. Jak got on in front of her and she wrapped her arms around his stomach, getting a shiver from him. In front of her, Jak struggled to ignore Keira's touch and started up the Zoomer.

He took off, going well over Keira's speed limit. Her grip tightened slightly as Jak accelerated well beyond anything she was capable of handling. She had told Jak she could only control the Zoomer up to forty miles an hour, anything faster than that and she couldn't get her body to react fast enough. Jak smirked as she let out a squeal of delight at going so fast. He started trying to impress her, doing flips and spins in the air. A couple of times he tried doing a back flip with a half twist in it, trying to, and succeeding in, get a reaction from her. After about twenty minutes or so, Jak saw the end approaching on his radar. All of a sudden, he heard an alarm going off that could only mean one thing, his heat shield was reaching its breaking point. Ignoring Keira, who was grabbing him very tightly around his stomach in fear, and Daxter, who was moaning about everything that he had wanted to do and wouldn't because he was about to end up deep-fried, Jak slammed down on the accelerator and saw a cooling vent about ten feet away. He started to sweat, mostly from the malfunctioning shield, as he saw the shield reach its critical point. Time seemed to slow down, but resumed normal speed as he landed in the vent, relief flooding his body as he watched the temperature go down.

Sharing a collected sigh, the three of them continued through Fire Canyon. Jak searched the horizon and saw what he was looking for: the end of the path. He accelerated to well over eighty miles an hour, seeing a gap in the path in front of him. As they shot out, Daxter let out a whoop of joy at going so fast. Jak beamed, thinking he would make it across the fissure. After about five seconds, he realized that he would not make it, and he and his friends would sink to a fiery grave. Thinking quickly, he took out the Hookshot that Pete had left him in his will, now thankful that he had remembered it after going back home and fighting that demon. He quickly took aim and fired the Hookshot, quickly taking Keira's hands off his stomach, putting Daxter on his lap, putting her hands back on his stomach so Daxter wouldn't go flying off, and putting his hand on top of hers. Praying to whichever Precursors were listening, he closed his eyes and was suddenly jerked forward, instinct making him tighten his grip on his comrades. He wrapped his legs around the Zoomer to ensure that it would stay with them and the three of them went flying through the air. Jak felt that he would land before the Zoomer and prepared to have his face burned off. He was pleasantly surprised, therefore, to only land on his ace, hurting his nose, on grass. He looked around and saw that the Hookshot had made them go so far, they had landed safely on some grass after the end. He turned around and saw Keira and Daxter jumping for joy. Or rather, he saw Keira jump for joy while Daxter started break-dancing. Jak smiled, and with good reason, he had survived another adventure.

"So Jak, shall we start on our way to Rock Village?" Daxter inquired.

"No. I don't think that that's a good idea. Its nearly dark, and I don't think trying to climb down a mountain at night would be a very good idea. What do you think Jak?"

Jak thought for a minute and then pointed to Keira. Daxter groaned at having to wait longer than he wanted to become human again. "Oh alright. But where are we gonna sleep? I don't see any bed and breakfasts around here."

"Well, I thought we might have to make camp, so I rolled up a tent and two sleeping bags and put them on the back of the Zoomer," Keira piped up happily. She went to the Zoomer, which, Jak now noticed, did indeed have a tent and a couple of sleeping bags attached to it. Jak smiled and started helping Keira set them up; one for her and one for him and Daxter.

"Well, goodnight Jak," Daxter said, giving a huge yawn. "You know what, I think I might have spotted a few Lurkers around here before. I know you can take care of yourself Jak, but I think I'd better stay with Keira, so she doesn't get hurt," Daxter said with a smile. Two stares met this pronouncement and he thought quickly. "But then again, even though I'm not technically elfish anymore, that wouldn't be proper, would it. I guess your on your own Keira. But I hope nothing happens."

Keira rolled her eyes and went into her tent. Jak picked Daxter up and placed him inside the tent made up for the two of them. He then tapped on Keira's tent's opening. "Daxter, your not staying with me, go with Jak." Jak unzipped the "door" and stuck his head inside, not wanting to look at her in case she wasn't decent. "Oh, its you Jak. Hang on a sec." Jak waited until she told him it was safe to come in and then opened the door fully and went inside. He took a step forward and tripped over an article of clothing. Turning to look at Keira, he saw she was combing her hair, but wasn't facing him. She had changed into a big tee shirt that came down about three inches past her waist, but it was still high enough to show off her smooth legs. Jak stared at her legs, wondering how they would feel under his fingers.

"They probably feel just like her stomach, smooth and muscular..." Jak thought, but before anything else could pass through his mind, she turned around and looked at him. He quickly looked up, not wanting her to think he was staring at her chest like Daxter did all the time.

"Did you want to give me something Jak?" she asked, hoping he had come in to give her a kiss goodnight. Her heart soared when he nodded, but then withered with disappointment when he handed her that piece of metal that had somehow saved them from dying before. "What's this?" He handed her Pete's note, which she wasted no time in reading. "Your giving this to me?" she asked in disbelief. Jak nodded and took her outside. He pointed to the moon and traced its future pattern with his finger. He then pointed to the Hookshot and then to himself.

"I can have it until morning, and then you want it back?" she asked, to make sure she had understood what he was trying to say. Jak nodded and turned to go into his tent. Keira thought quickly. "Jak wait. I want to give you something too." He walked back to her, a puzzled expression etched on his face. Keira bit her lip, and then gave Jak a quick kiss on the cheek, blushing furiously as she did so. He stood there, a stunned look on his face. She squeaked out a goodnight and went back in her tent, trying not to shout with joy at finally kissing Jak.

"Well, he didn't kiss me back, but its a start," she decided. Outside, Jak rubbed the spot where Keira had kissed him softly and smiled. He staggered back into the hut, ignoring Daxter, and laid down on his bed. He wondered why Keira had kissed him, but not in the way that he was displeased. He went to bed, thoughts of her kissing him more preventing him from his usual nightmares.

Jak awoke several hours later and stretched. He went outside and saw it was just about sunrise. He gathered some wood and piled it up. He then peeked into Keira's tent to see of she was sleeping. To his relief she was. He walked in and immediately had to turn around; the shirt Keira had been wearing last night had been taken off and she was lying on her bed in just her undergarments. Without looking at her, he took her blankets and covered her body. When he had done this, he put a hand on her cheek and smiled at her. In his opinion, she looked gorgeous in this light. With the sun hitting her face from her chin, her face was a perfect mix and match of light and shadow. Shaking his head to clear it of memories of the kiss she had given him last night, Jak looked around for the Hookshot. He saw it in a corner, close enough for Keira to grab in a heartbeat of she needed to. He took it, left her a note telling her he took it back, and left the tent.

Looking down on the ground, Jak spied some animal tracks. From what he gathered, it appeared to be two or three Kanga-Rats. He followed the tracks and found two sleeping behind a bush. Taking aim with the Hookshot, Jak centered the aiming light right between the eyes of the fatter one. He knew that a hit directly in the front of the head would give the Kanga-Rat an instantaneous and, hopefully, painless death. Even though Jak loved meat, he did not enjoy inflicting pain on others, so whenever he killed animals he tried to make it as clean ads he could. Jak fired the Hookshot, but hadn't counted on the noise it made; a faint clanking sound. Unfortunately, the Kanga-Rats heard the sound and woke up. Fortunately, they didn't know what to do, and the fatter of the two was killed instantly and its body was dragged back to Jak. Jak took another shot and took the head of the Kanga-Rat off in one clean stroke. He held the Kanga-Rat by its shoulders so the blood wouldn't leak everywhere and walked back to camp. He shot a small blast of Yellow Eco at the kindling he had gathered, stripped the fur off of the Kanga-Rat by using a side of the Hookshot, and tossed it onto the fire to cook. As he saw the innards pouring out of the hole in its neck, he Channeled Red Eco into his pointer and middle fingers. Sliding them across the open wound, the heat from the Eco cauterized the wound and closed it. He tossed it back in and woke up Daxter.

"Morning, ol' buddy," Daxter said with a smile. "How ya doin'?" Jak shrugged and picked him up. He went into Keira's tent and shook her lightly to wake her up. Opening her eyes with a slight moan, she stretched her arms, showing them off.

"So Jak, any thoughts about breakfast? I thought we might go hunting. Or we could just hike on an empty stomach and eat when we get there." Jak smiled and pointed outside the tent. Keira sniffed the air and licked her lips, knowing how good roasted Kanga-Rat tasted. "I'll be out in a couple of minutes Jak; I just gotta get dressed." Jak nodded and went outside. He stuck his hand back in and pulled Daxter outside of the tent; he had been tucked away in a corner after Keira sad she needed to get dressed.

After a delicious breakfast, the three of them hiked down Fire Mountain. Other than DAxter falling off the cliff while trying to steal them some eggs, the trip had been uneventful. He was still shaking; Jak had stopped him from hitting the ground using his new powers, but Jak supposed that falling through the air only to stop and go up again would scare anyone. After four and a half hours or so, they reached a gap with a tree on the other side. Jak got his Hookshot and took aim, trying to land the arrowhead part of it in the center of the trunk. He took Keira and hoisted her onto his shoulder, grabbing her hands to make sure she had a firm grip. He didn't worry about Daxter's grip, as his left arm was already losing feeling from cut off circulation. He had Daxter's hold on his arm to thank for this. He fired the Hookshot and was jerked across the canyon. Landing off balance, the three of the rolled down the grass covered hill, stopping at them bottom a little out of breath, but relatively unscathed. Looking up, Jak saw a sight he had been dying to see; Rock Village. Now he saw why it was called so, the top of a boulder seemed to have been hacked off, leaving a small civilization on it. The entire village was surrounded by water, with a bridge leading off into what looked like a forest or woodland. There were grass spots here and there, but the thing that caught his eye most of all was a large basin in the distance. Jak wondered if that was the Precursor Basin Samos had told him about. It was supposed to be full of a variety of plant life, which was probably why Samos had spoken so fondly of it. There was a mountain in the distance, and balls of light seemed to be falling from it down to the village. Seeing a hut a bit away from the rest of the village, which seemed to glow with a faint reddish glow, Jak assumed that this was the home of Zeorro, the Blue Sage.

They made their way around the village, not wanting to draw attention to themselves. When they reached the Sage's lab, they knocked on the door. Hearing no answer, Jak shrugged and opened the door. A mess met his eyes; the Sage was even messier than Daxter, whose room needed a "Caution, Enter At Your Own Risk" sign. There was torn books pulled off of the bookshelves, inventions had been smashed, and there was a stale smell, as if no one had been here for a few days. Jak stepped on the button that activated the teleporter, and Samos came through after about thirty seconds. He landed ungraciously on his backside, and got up, rubbing himself. As he did this, Keira looked out of the telescope out of the Sage's window to get a better look at the village.

"Whoa! I don't think I'll ever get used to that teleporter tingling sensation. Hey! It looks like the Blue Sage threw a party!" Samos exclaimed, getting to his feet and looking around.

"Oh my! Rock Village is on fire!" Keira said, pointing out the window.

"One HECK of a party!"

"No, no! I mean Rock Village is being bombarded with flaming boulders!" Keira said as she started looking through the papers of the Sage. As she did this, she found some sheets of paper that appeared to be blueprints of some kind. "Oh! But it looks like the Blue Sage is working on a levitation machine to move them! Assuming it's operational, we're gonna need Power Cells to fuel it! I guess you two will have to find some more." Keira backed up right into Jak, his hard chest pressing into her back. She turned around and they both blushed. Samos, more to stop Jak and Keira from flirting with each other than anything else, spoke up.

"We'd better take a look at his notes. Jak, go check on the villagers, then come back and give us an update. And take the fur ball with you!" he said, pointing at Daxter with his staff. Jak nodded and walked out of the lab and through the village. Most of the villagers were inside, but as he passed the Precursor Basin, he saw a woman with a strange helmet in her head; it looked like it had a flashlight in it. She spotted Jak and looked him up and down, apparently thinking hard. Finally she spoke.

"You two look like a couple of capable fellows. I've got a research project going and maybe you could help me out." she said.

"Hey, we're the ones on a big quest here! We ask YOU for help! " Daxter retorted.

"Well, perhaps we can help each other. I've been studying the burrowing habits of Lightning Moles in the Precursor Basin next to our village for years. But now those awful Lurkers have scared the moles to the surface! And since they're blind as bats, they can't find their way back underground! If you could herd them back into their burrowing tunnels, we might just save their lives. I've got a Power Cell that says you can do it! I'm Seddy Mentary, by the way, who are you?" She said, holding it out as she finished.

Daxter accurately translated Jak's thought in words. "Yeah. Lightning Moles. We care. Maybe for TWO Power Cells! I'm Daxter and this is Jak."

"Nice try," she said with a laugh, "but I would be willing to part with another Power Cell if you two find me fifty Precursor Orbs for my research equipment. Fair enough?"

Jak and Daxter nodded at each other and gave the Seddy fifty of the two hundred Precursor Orbs they had found in the Blue Eco Temple. Her eyes went wide; she had not been expecting them to come up with that much money this soon.

"Oh, you have the orbs! Here's the Power Cell we agreed upon," she said as she took the Orbs and gave them the Power Cell. Jak high-fived Daxter and pointed to a large wooden dome in the center of town. Daxter nodded and they started walking again. As they made their way there, they passed a large man covered in armor. He was clutching his head and moaning. Jak looked closer, this man was the same warrior who had helped him and Samos defend the village two years ago.

"What's up tough guy?" Daxter asked.

"Oh, my aching head..." the man moaned in retaliation.

"I doubt that's one of your vital organs! Walk it off, Tough Guy!" Daxter said with a grin. Jak laughed inside, Daxter certainly had a rather unorthodox way of trying to cheer someone up.

"Oh sure, I was tough once. Maybe even the toughest of them all! I single-handedly defended this village against those horrid creatures for almost a year! Then that horrible monster arrived and commenced the boulder bombardment. So... full of valor... armor shining in the sun... I climbed the hill to take him on...! But he pounded me like one tenderizes a Yakow steak." He said, lowering his head in what Jak assumed was shame.

"Have you tried attacking him with your melodrama? 'Cause it's killing me!" Jak inwardly laughed again at his friend's comment.

"After my last stunning failure, he sealed the passageway to his roost with a thirty-ton boulder, leaving no way for anyone to challenge him again. So, our sage, a master of Blue Eco and a mechanical genius, devised a plan to lift the boulder out of the way...! But alas. He disappeared before we had a chance to turn it on. And he took all his Power Cells with him. At least I was able to pull enough pontoons out of our bridge to prevent that monster from coming down here to do me harm!"

"Yeah, good. Good job there, Tough Guy. But um, we're gonna need you to uh... put 'em back and stuff."

"Oh, sure... and seal my doom? All right, fine. Bring me fifty Precursor Orbs and I'll let the pontoons loose. But I'm NOT going to fight that monster again!" He said with whimper. Jak pulled fifty more Orbs out of his pocket and put them in front of the Warrior, who looked less than happy to see them.

"Oh... wonderful. Ya brought me the Precursor Orbs. All right. I'll fix the bridge. But don't ask me to get involved with that creature again!" The Warrior shuffled off to the river surrounding the village and started putting the pontoons back. Jak and Daxter continued on their way to the dome. When they finally reached it, they saw a short man with big sideburns and a blue top hat standing against the wall. This wasn't what caught their attention about him, however. It was the fact that he was wearing a barrel around his body. He took one look at Jak's armor and groaned.

"Oh no, not another hero! I lost my shorts on another so-called hero's big fight against the monster up there! Trust me, the smart money's on the monster. That wager pretty much tapped me out! So's I got a proposal. Bring me one hundred Orbs to get me back on my feet and out of this barrel and I'll give you a Power Cell in return! And, if you're game, I do have one more bet on mind. My big comeback! Beat the record time down Dead Man's Gorge in the Precursor Basin and I'll get a pretty payoff! For that, I'll give you another Power Cell!" The man said, before Daxter could make a comment. Not wanting to pass up an opportunity to get two more Power Cells, Jak quickly gave the man the rest of his Precursor Orbs, keeping a firm hand over Daxter's mouth the entire time.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh! Oh yeah! These Orbs'll help me win my way back outta this barrel! Here's the Power Cell I promised." Jak took it, nodding his thanks to the peculiar man. He then decided to go back to the hut, he had seen enough of the village to know everyone here had some problem or another, and all of them seemed to revolve around the "giant monster" that was terrorizing the village.

As they entered, Keira looked at Daxter expectantly. "Ok, the reality of this village is... it sucks. Everyone's complaining about some 'giant monster' that's up on the mountain terrorizing the town, and that 'giant monster' has been causing everyone one type of problem or another. I bet that he'll stop after I go up there and teach him a lesson." Jak and Keira rolled their eyes at him. Samos stepped out of Zeorro's private study.

"Well, the situation here stinks worse than a Lurker's armpit! Before Zeorro's disappearance, he documented trouble in all the surrounding areas. Of particular interest to me is the Dark Eco infection of some innocent plants in the Precursor Basin. Keira will transport your A-Grav Zoomer to the nearest Trans-Pad. Ride the Zoomer to the corrupted plants. Don't miss a single plant, or the infested ones will slowly re-infect the healthy ones. And Daxter... Start cleaning up in here! And don't forget the corners!" He said, rapping Daxter once again on his favorite spot on Daxter's skull.

Jak started towards the door, but stopped when he heard Keira talking. "I know where you can find another Power Cell! According to his notes, a couple days ago Flying Lurkers stole one of Zeorro's Power Cells and flew off into the Precursor Basin! I'll bet you could get them until you find the one with the Power Cell if they're still there!"

"Geez, don't bother giving us a beak. We've been bustin' our asses trying to get all this stuff for you."

"Jak's been doing and probably will do all the work, so I really don't see what you're complaining about."

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to balance myself on Jak's shoulder? And how are we supposed to catch those flying Lurker's anyway, those they're fast as Legatee."

"There's a Precursor Trans-Pad right at the entrance of the Precursor Basin. And with the Hookshot and the Yellow Eco guns I installed, it should be like catching fish in a barrel finding the Lurker, that is, assuming that he's still in the Basin." Daxter grumbled something about discrimination and bullying, turned around, and saw that Jak instead of walking off was waiting for him with his hand outstretched, like a true friend. Daxter smiled and shimmied up his body and onto his shoulder. Five minutes later, Jak and Daxter were to be found on the Zoomer looking for the Lurker Flyers. After shooting down seven, and still not finding the Power Cell, he was starting to lose hope.

"Screw it Jak. I think the one with the Power Cell saw me coming and flew away." Seconds after Daxter had spoken; the Power Cell Scanner went off, showing a Power Cell in the possession of a Lurker Flyer. "Don't even point." Daxter said as Jak moved his hand to point at the screen. Jak grinned to himself and took off after the Lurker Flyer. It seemed to be smarter than its siblings, however, and did not hover still when it saw Jak. It took off and Jak fired six shots at it, missing every time. Finally, Jak decided to do a triple shot. He launched his final blast and shot his Hookshot. The Lurker Fly barely dodged the second blow, but then its torso blasted in half by a Yellow Eco blast from Jak. As Jak drove by the limp body, Daxter scooped the Power Cell from its hands connected to arms that were no longer attached to its body.

"Sweet. Now we got twenty-four right?" Jak nodded, grinning. Daxter grinned back. "Awesome. At this rate, I'll be elfish and swingin' again in no time."

Jak smiled again and nodded. He put his goggles over his eyes and flipped them onto Eco Search. He selected Dark and a huge signal came over from behind him and around a small hill. As Jak approached the forest, he slowed down and looked in horror at the new forest. Thick trees had been twisted around, spikes sticking out everywhere. Everywhere Jak looked in the small field, there ware twisted and deformed plants. The once beautiful forest had been turned into a putrid, distorted, and evil version. Jak got off the Zoomer and tried to levitate the trees out of the ground. No matter how hard he focused, they didn't come out. He blasted a tree with Yellow Eco, disintegrating it. He watched with horror as it grew back to its normal size within seconds. Jak took his communicator out of his backpack and called Keira.

"Hey guys. Is something wrong?"

"As a matter of fact, yes there is. Put old, green and wrinkly on."

"What is it Daxter?" Samos' annoyed voice came over the speaker.

"Look, I'm not tryin' to be rude, but how do we kill these Dark Eco plants? Jak tried levitating and blasting them, but they don't come back and they grow back in seconds."

"Try putting Green Eco into them. It might cure the disease that the Dark Eco injected into the plants."

"Ok we'll try it." Jak knelt next to a miniature Dark Eco Plant and put Green Eco into it. After writhing for a few seconds, it turned back into a normal flower. Jak gathered every ounce of Green Eco he had and forced it into a small ball. He slammed it into the ground and its restorative powers washed over everything, casting out the Dark Eco originating impurities in the plants. After taking his hands away from his eyes to shield them from the light, Jak looked over the old field; a beautiful forest of which Samos would have been proud. He looked around and saw a sign to Dead Man's Gorge. It turned out that he wasn't the only one trying to beat the record. Although Eco powered the machines driven by the other people, unlike his, his was much faster. Jak checked the clock after forty seconds and saw that he was five seconds away from losing. He looked at the finish line and saw that it was at least that far away. He tried Channeling Blue Eco into his Zoomer and its speedometer broke as he hurled across the finish line, three and a half seconds under the limit.

After receiving fifty Precursor Orbs as a prize, Jak scanned the Basin for Lightning Moles. He saw six and decided to try a new trick. He levitated one, and then another and another. Soon, half a dozen Lightning Moles surrounded Jak. He walked around and saw a hole. He dropped them gently into the hole one by one. He got back on his Zoomer and drove out of the Basin. As he exited and got off his Zoomer, he saw Seddy waiting for him with a Power Cell in her outstretched hand. How she knew he had finished what she had asked him to do was beyond him, but he really didn't care.

"Thank you for saving those moles, that's awfully good of you! Here's a Power Cell to help you out. Now I can get back to my research." After saying this she turned around and went into a house; presumably her own.

Jak figured he might as well visit the Gambler, and when they got to him, he had a chest full of Precursor Orbs. From the look of it, there must have been at least one thousand. Jak shot a warning look at Daxter, who went from looking like Wile. E. Coyote to an angel. "Oh, great moves, kid! I knew that time record would fall! Now here's your Power Cell, and I can go enjoy my big pay-off!" Jak nodded his thanks and the Gambler bowed to him, a bit awkwardly due to his barrel.

Jak arrived back at Zeorro's house and flopped down on the bed without talking to anyone. When he woke up the next day, he saw that Keira had made him two eggs and some bacon. After eating, he went to see Samos, who was pacing in Zeorro's private study again. He looked up as the two of them entered.

"Good morning Jak. Sleep well?" Jak nodded and nodded towards the Blue Sage's notes. Samos sighed deeply. "According to the Blue Sage's notes, Lurkers have infested the swamp across the bay. Apparently, they're planning to use a dirigible to lift an important Precursor artifact from the muck! You're going to have to get over there and dislodge their tethers! Who knows what they might want with the artifact? But like Orange-Stuff here's breath, it just can't be good!" He said, pointing at Daxter, who couldn't stand anymore.

"Hey, my breath smells like perfume compared to you. Why do you think Jak passed out after taking one breath when he came back last afternoon?" Jak smiled and Samos narrowed his eyes at Daxter, who gulped and went back into Jak's backpack. Jak sighed and jumped slightly as he heard Keira's voice behind him. Apparently she had been listening to the conversation, because she offered help.

"With permission from our village birdwatcher, I've outfitted the village baby Flut-Flut with our riding saddle! It appears there's a Precursor trans-pad in the Boggy Swamp. If you can find it, I'll send the Flut-Flut to you in full riding regalia! Her long jump might come in handy when you're crossing the tar." Jak nodded his thanks and gave her a hug before exiting.

"Hey toots, how do we get to this Boggy Swamp?" Daxter inquired.

"You just swim over to that ledge over there, and from there there's an entrance."

"Uh, aren't there a lot of um, Lurker Sharks in that water?" Daxter said with a nervous look.

"Why? Are you scaaared?" Keira taunted.

"Me? Of course not! Just... lookin' out for Jak here. You uh, know what a chicken he can be." He said, pointing at Jak. Everyone but him rolled his or her eyes and Jak picked Daxter up gently and put him on his shoulder.

"If you swim out over the coral reef I doubt the Lurker Sharks will bother you. They don't like shallow water." Keira called after Jak, who turned around and nodded to show that he had heard her.

Five minutes later, Jak and Daxter were shaking themselves off. "Damn, that was close, wasn't it?" Jak nodded and turned around. The Lurker Shark growled and swam away, fuming that it had missed its meal. Jak turned around and entered the Boggy Swamp.

* * *

Please review. I'm still looking for votes for the temple, and the vote is currently two for red, one for yellow. If you haven't voted, please do. If you have ideas, comments, flames, etc, please send them in. 


	10. Meeting the Locals

Keeroshu: Yes, Daxter has hip moves that we mortals will never be able to use. -cries-. :P. And, hopefully to your approvement, I have decided to make the demon girl a main character, she will appear many more times. Good luck with your own work and update soon.

Red Mage 04: Yes, Daxter is ever the sarcastic perv. But that's what makes him so great. Anywhoo, I have decided that I will in fact put the Yellow Temple up first, as I don't want to match the Yellow Sage's Yellow with the Yellow Temple. Red will be the third. And you can be assured that there will be many a joke made in the temple. As for the email you sent me, I hope you recieved my response. Just in case, I'm posting it at the bottom of this chapter, sonce I won't be updateing for at least a week. Or reviewing, or signing on. Keep up the good work in you own chapter.

Meeting The Locals

Jak and Daxter climbed a hill. As they got closer to the top, a bad smell started to infiltrate their senses. By the time they had gotten to the top of the hill, it had turned into a full-blown stench.

"By the Precursors, what died and was left here to rot?" Daxter asked, holding his

nose. Jak personally agreed with him, the smell in itself was almost too much to bear, and he seriously considered for a second leaving this place.

"No, I can't back out now. Samos said that the Lurkers are trying to lift a large and powerful Precursor artifact out of the swamp. And I promised Samos I would try to stop them. I have to go in there and say that I at least gave it my best shot. And Keira will love it if I manage to do it." Jak thought as he slowly made his way down the hill. As he landed at the bottom, his feet started to slightly sink into the ground. He looked down and saw that he was in a swamp. He didn't know why he was so surprised, he had just never expected to have to struggle to move.

Jak looked around. He saw several crates, most likely containing Eco on top of a boulder sticking out of the muck. He flipped his goggles on and turned them into Eco Search. The crates were filled with Yellow Eco. Jak grinned, his Box was empty, and he had used up what little he had remaining from the demon and the Flying Lurker the day before. As he made his way to the crates, he noticed a problem. The rock was smooth and there was nothing to grapple on to. The only thing there was around was a branch about a foot above his head. But even if he climbed that, there would still be too much distance for him to jump. Suddenly, his mind thought back to his early gym days, back when he, Keira and Daxter were in kindergarten. He remembered the teacher telling them to run at the branch, grab it, and use their momentum to swing around it. After that, they were supposed to let go and fly across a small ditch and land on a pad. Jak shrugged, it couldn't hurt to try it in this case. He backed up and made a clenching motion with his fist to Daxter. Daxter confirmed he had understood that to mean "hold on tight." Jak ran and grabbed the pole. After swinging his body around, he let go when he was going up and his body spun around in circles. He landed neatly on the rock, if not perhaps too graciously or properly.

Jak sat up, trying to get the sensation that he was spinning out of his mind. He stood up and fought a wave of lightheadedness. He smashed the crates with his foot and absorbed the Yellow Eco Orbs into his box. Checking it, he was about three-quarters full. Jak jumped down and landed perfectly into the swamp again. He made his way over to a thicket, one that he was not very anxious to try and get through. He saw a fallen tree trunk and jumped as high as he could in the air. He took out his Hookshot, took aim, and fired. The hook dug into the wood and pulled Jak to it, across the very painful looking thicket. Jak got to his feet, not wanting to be off his guard very long in unfamiliar territory. In the distance, he saw a type of blue fire rising up into the air. As he made his way over to it, he suddenly felt a searing pain in his foot. Looking down, he saw that his foot had landed in some kind of black mud-like tar. He quickly yanked his foot out and saw that it was bright red and shining. He healed it with Green Eco and mentally made a note not to touch the substance with his bare feet again.

Jak looked around and noticed bits of what was probably once a bridge. He jumped from piece to piece, being careful never to land in the tar. As he made his way to the fire, which was now properly seen as a Blue Eco Vent, a quiet flapping sound reached his ears. He smiled, a few Lurker Bats were thinking to challenge him? Apparently, they would. No less that a dozen Lurker Bats flew out of the surrounding foliage in an attempt to make Jak lose his balance and fall into the tar. Jak stayed calm and picked them off one at a time. He made his way over to the Blue Eco Vent and relaxed, letting his body and his Eco Box become filled with the power. As he looked around, trying to see if he could spot the dirigible, a Launch Pad caught his eye. Jak stepped on it and jumped, the mysterious power of the Pad launching him into the air. He felt himself being guided to his left, so he leaned that way. He landed on another Launch Pad. Jak looked around and saw three Lurker Rats scamper. Jak panicked and started firing wildly. He killed two but the third one wriggled into a hole in the wall and escaped.

Jak mentally cursed himself out. Not only had he panicked and wasted Eco, but he had also allowed a Lurker Rat to escape, and that meant that within a few minutes the entire Lurker population in this area would know that he was here. Jak stepped into another Vent and stepped back on the Launch Pad. Jak flew into the air and landed on the original Launch Pad. He continued down the path and saw nine sharp cones sticking out of the ground. He tentatively took a step near them and nine poles shot up out of the ground. Jak's eyes widened; had he stepped on those poles, he would have been skewed. More poles rose up out of the ground and trapped Jak in a crude cage. Jak smiled; surely the Lurkers didn't think that this could contain him. He put his hand on the pole and Channeled Yellow Eco into it. The wood burned away, showing Precursor metal underneath. Jak's eyes widened; Eco had no affect on Precursor metal. This cage wasn't meant to hold him up, it was meant to trap him. If the Lurkers didn't come along and kill him, Jak would starve. Jak looked desperately through the gaps in the bars for a method of escape and saw a lever in the rock wall. Jak went to tap Daxter on his shoulder, but Daxter was gone. Suddenly, the poles dropped and a cocky voice broke the confused silence.

"Come on Jak. Do you really think I'm stupid or something. I don't know about you, but I'm not for starving to death in this place." Jak smiled and let Daxter climb back onto his shoulder. He heard a scampering sound and looked around for the source.

Jak saw about ten Lurker Rats glaring at him from their nest. Jak smiled; Rats were no threat, as long as they didn't bite you. It was common knowledge that Lurker Rats were poisonous. Jak charged up a blast and blew the nest up with one huge Yellow Eco blast. Jak continued walking through the swamp, one hand on his belt in case he needed to use Eco. Eventually, he spotted a boulder with a thick rope tied to it. Jak guessed that this was one of the ropes holding up the dirigible. Jak jumped into the pit, intending to cut the rope, and saw a giant lump guarding the boulder. As he got nearer, Jak realized that it was in fact a Lurker Berserker. Jak, terrified though he was at the thought of having to kill on of these behemoths, couldn't help but stare at it. It was sixteen feet tall, covered in armor, and in its chest was a Power Cell. Jak winced; the Power Cell probably gave it a lot of power. Jak sighed and then charged at it, intending to take it by surprise. The Berserker saw Jak running at it and smiled, amused. When leapt into the air to punch it in the face, the Berserker slapped Jak with a roar, sending him into a wall. Jak groaned and sat up; the Berserkers were much faster than the Warriors were, something he hadn't counted on.

Jak got to his feet and looked the Berserker up and down for any weaknesses. To his disappointment, he found none. The Berserker was armored from head to toe, stronger than anything Jak had yet encountered was, and they had that damn Power Cell in their chest. The Berserker drew a club out of its sling on its back and roared, swinging it around wildly. It swung the club at Jak, who was slightly intimidated by the fact that his adversary was wielding a weapon that was bigger than he was. The Berserker slammed the club into the ground and a shockwave threatened to throw Jak off his feet. He jumped into the air and tried to land his feet into the Berserker's face. The monster caught his foot and dangled him upside down. It then swung its club at Jak, who prepared to die. Fortunately for him, the Berserker lifted the arm holding Jak right before the club connected with his skull. The Berserker continued swinging and Jak was sure that eventually the club would hit him. Turning on his Blue Eco Box, he looked wildly around for something to levitate, but saw nothing big enough to distract the monster. Jak saw the club as it missed him -narrower than before- once more and decided to try that. The club glowed light blue and soared out of the Berserker's hand. The fiend paused in mid-swing and looked at its hand, which it was pretty sure had just been holding a club. It looked around, then up. It registered dimly that clubs shouldn't float above their owners. Jak made a motion with his hand and the club flipped so that its sharp side was pointing down. The weapon then pierced the Berserker's skull and it dropped down to the floor, dead. Jak shakily got to his feet and shot the rope tying the dirigible down to the ground. He then walked over to the Berserker and grabbed the Power Cell out of its chest.

Jak noticed that Daxter had yet to make a comment, and that was very out of character for him. Jak looked around and saw Daxter unconscious near a wall. Jak guessed that he had been flung off while the Berserker had been trying to kill him, hit the wall, and was instantly knocked out. Jak picked Daxter up and placed him in his bag. Jak then looked around, he had hit a dead wall, and from what he could see of the dirigible had four more ropes left, the thickest probably lifting whatever the Lurkers wanted from the swamp.

Jak looked around for a way to get to the other tethers, but he had arrived at a wall of solid rock. Jak didn't doubt that he could blast his way through, he could probably do it with very minimum effort. He decided to at least try to find another way before he drew even more attention to himself. He turned around and scanned the area as he walked, looking for another way. To his astonishment, Jak saw a path through the mountain that he had missed. Jak wondered how he had missed such a large opening; it was at least ten feet tall. Jak looked at the opening again and saw that it wasn't visible from the way he had been walking. Jak shrugged and entered it.

"Uh Jak, maybe we shouldn't go in there. It's dark, you might not be able to see where you're going and hurt yourself." Jak smiled at his friend's either thoughtfulness or cowardice; Jak wasn't quite sure. To relieve Daxter either way, Jak shot small Yellow Eco Blasts at torches he saw on the wall as he walked. After a minute of walking, the cave's lamps were lit. Jak and Daxter exchanged looks at this; someone, or probably more accurately, something was in this cave other than them.

Jak made his way cautiously through the passage, looking for anything that might appear out of place. Unwittingly, he stepped on a differently colored stone, and a similar trap sprung; poles lined with spikes shot up from the floor. Daxter calmly, "for once," Jak thought, looked for the lever. As much as he liked Daxter, Jak did think that his friend did tend to overreact over what he considered to be small things. After thirty seconds of waiting (though it felt much longer to Jak), Daxter lowered the cage bars. As they progressed further into the cave, Jak stopped and consulted his goggles, which were beeping softly. He saw highly concentrated amounts of Dark Eco in boxes. Jak thought and figured he might as well conduct an experiment and see what would happen to Dark Eco if he tried to blast it. He found the boxes and backed away twenty feet or so. Jak took careful aim and blasted the Dark Eco Boxes. Each one sent a minor explosion, but nothing more. Jak smiled, now he could dispose of any Dark Eco Crates he saw without risking injury or mutation to himself, Keira, Samos, or Daxter (in this last case, further mutation).

"Holy crap! Jak, did you even think about what you just did? You might have killed us." This thought had not occurred to Jak, who hung his head in shame. Seeing this, Daxter tried to cheer his friend back up. "Sorry about that Jak, I just get jumpy around Dark Eco. We didn't die, and now we know that we can destroy, or at least get rid of, the Dark Eco in our way." Jak smiled at this and nodded his head, happy that Daxter was no longer angry with him.

Jak went back to what he suspected was the main path; it was at least the largest. A scurrying sound reached Jak and Daxter's highly sensitive ears. Peering around the corner, they saw roughly twenty Lurker Rats looking for what Jak assumed to be him and his furry companion. Jak charged his hands with Yellow Eco and turned the corner, startling the Rats for a split second. That was all Jak needed, as he sent twenty or thirty beams from each of his hands, each one about as wide as his finger. They went in every direction, cutting through every Rat; most of them got multiple blasts through their bodies. Jak went on, carefully picking his way through the corpses. Even though he hated the Lurkers for all the senseless pain and suffering they caused, Jak had absolutely no desire to disrespect their dead bodies. Jak walked on and on, wondering if he would every reach the end of the cave. Just as this thought passed through his mind, there was a light, albeit a dim one. Jak headed for that saw something he sorely needed, a Yellow Eco Vent. He filled his Yellow Eco Box to the brim and continued. When he emerged from the cave a few minutes later, he saw a random Blue Eco Orb floating in midair. Jak was surprised; Eco Orbs usually did not happen for no reason. Jak looked around and saw a Launch Pad. Jak nodded to himself, this Orb must have been released by a Lurker to activate the Pad so they could get around. Jak took the Orb and absorbed it into his belt and then went on the Launch Pad and jumped while Channeling Blue Eco through his body. Once again, Jak felt himself being pulled in a specific direction, so he went that way.

As Jak looked down, his eyes widened. It wasn't for the Lurkers; this Launch Pad had been intended for him. As he got closer to the ground, the spikes got uncomfortably closer to his body. All of a sudden, a wild idea occurred to him. Gathering all of his Yellow Eco, Jak let off a blast that drained him of all his Yellow Eco. The force of the blast sent his body back into the air and over the ledge where the booby-trapped Launch Pad laid. Jak got to his feet, shaking. He had never thought that the Lurker's would use Precursor artifacts as booby-traps. He had known that they were constructing a kind of weapon, but to leave an artifact and actually build around it to make it deadly... Jak shivered again. He got to his feet and continued walking, much more carefully now. After a while, Jak saw a Yellow Eco Orb floating around in midair. Jak looked around and saw that there was nothing suspicious looking about this, so he absorbed it into his Yellow Eco Box. When he waited about thirty seconds and nothing had happened, he relaxed and let his guard down.

Jak saw the murky, black, tar-like substance from before and looked around for a way to cross it. He saw a bridge and walked onto it. It was very short, and it had a fifteen-foot gap in it. Jak saw another bar sticking out of the rock that covered one half of the bridge. Jak ran and jumped on the bar, pivoting his weight around as he had done before to keep his momentum up. He let go and spun in the air, landing correctly on the bridge unlike last time. Jak continued on the bridge, jumping over the small gaps as he went along. Eventually, Jak came to another pole. Jak spun on it and launched himself, but he realized almost before he started going down it was no good, he would land in the tar. Thinking quickly, Jak fired his Hookshot at another branch, much higher up, and was relieved when he heard the familiar sound that meant the hook had dug in. He didn't reel himself in; instead he did an intermediate technique he had read from the book. He flipped the switch on the blue part and lowered himself onto the bridge. He tugged on the chain and the hook fell. Jak then reeled it in before it could hit the tar: he didn't want to know what the corrosive power of the tar would do to what was quickly becoming his most useful weapon. As Jak neared the end of the bridge, it became elevated. Jak jumped off and landed in another basin. Looking around, he saw that he had made it to another tether, and to his dismay, another Lurker Berserker. Jak hoped that he would be able to defeat this one, as he had very little Yellow Eco, probably only enough to break the tether. On the other he had about two minutes or so of Blue Eco, which was an okay amount, and he was full on Red Eco. What worried Jak the most was he had almost no Green Eco, which meant if he got seriously injured, he would not be able to heal himself. Jak crept quietly up to the Berserker, which thankfully had not noticed him. Jak wondered if he could somehow combine the Berserker's obvious lack of intelligence with the element of surprise. Jak crawled around it and sat behind the boulder, thinking of a way to overcome this Berserker before it discovered his presence or did him serious harm. Suddenly, a roar made Jak jump in the air. He was picked up and thrown into a wall. Squinting through the massive headache he had, Jak had a second to see the Berserker's fist before it collided with his head, effectively knocking him out.

"Hey buddy. Jak? Hey man, wake up, it's me, Daxter." Jak's eyes fluttered open as he winced; he felt as if someone had been using his head as a substitute for a nail. He looked down and saw Daxter smiling at him cockily. Suddenly Jak remembered about the Berserker. After wondering how he was still alive Jak leapt to his feet, looking for his enemy. Daxter laughed. "Relax man. I took care of the Lurker. He hurled his sword at me and then I picked it up and..." Daxter trailed off: Jak was giving him a slightly mocking look that clearly said that he knew Daxter was being dishonest. "All right. The Berserker knocked you out and I yelled. It got distracted by my voice and swung it's sword at me. He missed and cut through the tether. I jumped off the boulder on that platform and he swung again. He cut through the wood and the boulder fell on him and shattered the armor on his chest. I'm pretty sure that his ribs cracked as well, as a matter of fact. Anyway, he just lay there gasping for breath. He died a couple of minutes ago actually."

Jak smile met Daxter eyes and Daxter saw that Jak, his hero, his best friend, was actually proud of him. Jak ruffled Daxter's fur and playfully bowed to Daxter, clearly trying to say "my hero." Daxter laughed with his friend and smiled, happy that he had finally taken a Lurker down, even if it was luck. They continued on their way into the swamp, first taking the Power Cell out of the Berserker's chest. Counting mentally, Jak tried to add up how many he had. He had twenty from Sandover, two each from the Gambler and Seddy, one from Farmer Zeb, one from the Sculptor, and one from each of the two Berserkers he and Daxter had taken down.

"So, how many we got?" Jak made ten twice and held up eight fingers. "Twenty-eight? Awesome. We should have enough to power the Levitation machine by the time we get out of here right?" Jak nodded confidant that he and his friends would be in the Red Sage's village in a couple of days. He saw a couple of wooden crates and broke them open, surprised at having miniature balls of Green Eco fall out. He used most of them to heal the major headache that he had but put ten or so into his box. Jak picked a path and trekked down it finally springing and avoiding another cage trap. A dozen Lurker Bats ambushed Jak again, whom calmly picked them off and continued, leaving their smoldering corpses in his wake.

Jak spotted heavy metal boxes surrounded by tar and his curiosity got the better of him. Blowing the boxes up, he discovered they were filled with Precursor Orbs, about twenty or so. Jak thought of a way to try to get them out of the tar, but he didn't want to risk getting hurt. Jak turned his Blue Eco Box on and tried to manipulate the metal into coming towards him. To his delight, the Orbs flew to Jak as if he was a magnet. Jak mentally remembered another use for his new power; he could manipulate (or at least move) metal that wasn't welded to something. He continued through the Boggy Swamp into yet another cave, but this one was very short. Other than using Red Eco to move a boulder to discover a Precursor Launch Pad and Yellow Eco to blow up about twenty Dark Eco Crates, the trip was fairly uneventful. Luckily, the Dark Eco Crates were close together, so Jak needed only to use one shot. He took the Launch Pad after contemplating whether it was a trap, and decided to take the risk. Before he jumped, Jak took out his Hookshot in case he needed to grapple onto something. Taking a deep breath, Jak activated the Launch Pad and leapt into the air and over the stone walls.

He landed in yet another basin, one different than the other two. This one had wooden walls lined with Lurker Scouts and Rats. This made Jak very uneasy. What countered this was the fact that there was yet another tether here. If Jak survived the ambush, and he had a very good feeling that he would, he would be able to take out the third tether, meaning only two more would remain. Jak landed and quickly started punching the Scouts that rushed to meet him. Not to be distracted, Jak Channeled Red Eco into his feet and stomped on the ground. This effectively caused a mini-earthquake, causing the Lurker Rats that had been creeping up on him. Jak decided to try a similar technique that he had used before with Green Eco. Using his feet to defend himself, Jak gathered all of his Yellow Eco between his hands until he had a highly concentrated blast between his hands. Jak leapt into the air and threw the ball at the ground. A massive explosion shook both the air and the ground and Jak and Daxter both covered their eyes as a blinding light filled the air. When Jak opened his eyes, he was standing in a crater about ten feet deep or so. Needless to say, the Lurkers and the tether had both had been completely disintegrated. Jak took the Precursor Launch Pad and landed back on the man trip.

"What do you mean Jak is in Boggy Swamp?" The old necromancer bellowed at his demon servant.

"He is apparently attempting to sever the tethers that are lifting the-"

"Do not speak of it. What if my other servants heard of this?"

"Sorry my master. If you wish, I will set out for Boggy Swamp, but by the time I arrive there, he probably will have cut the fourth tether."

The dark elf sat back on his throne and contemplated. "Very well. But you will need assistance if you are to succeed."

The demon bristled at this. "I do not need assistance, my lord. But I do not think that I will be able to defeat him with only one arm."

"That is what I meant by assistance." Dark Eco crackled around his fingertips and he shot it at his servant. The brute screeched with pain as a new arm grew out of its left arm socket. As she examined it, she saw that it had a sharp protrusion right above her wrist. As she flexed her arm, a katana shot out of her arm and extended two feet in front of her. With a bow, she teleported to Boggy Swamp and the dirigible's final tether. She sat on the boulder and waited for Jak to arrive.

Meanwhile Jak was still progressing through Boggy Swamp. After refilling on Yellow Eco at another Vent, Jak noticed yet another Launch Pad. He paused to wonder why this place was so plentiful in Eco and Precursor technology, but decided it was better not to ask, not that he could. Jak took the Pad and landed on a boulder with a rope. Jak looked up and saw that the rope was connected to the dirigible. Jak shot the tether and continued back to the path, elated that he was almost done. The sooner he finished the sooner he could leave this smelly swamp.

Jak landed back on the path and continued his journey through the quagmire. As he walked, metal boxes caught his eyes. He walked over to one and examined it. He rapped on it and was surprised to find it was made of real metal, not Precursor. Although Precursor metal was very strong, normal metal was very hard to come by, this one box must cost at least three hundred Precursor Orbs. Jak stopped thinking when Daxter interjected.

"Are you gonna ask the box to open Jak, or are you gonna blow it to bits already?" Jak stepped back and blew the box to bits. To his disappointment, there was nothing in it. Jak shrugged and continued on his way. Suddenly, his communicator went off. Jak took it out of his backpack and turned it on.

"Jak? Daxter? Hey guys."

"Hey baby. I knew you wouldn't be able to last long without talkin' to me."

"Daxter, be quiet. So Jak, I want you to tell me when you see a Precursor Trans-Pad. I'm gonna send the village Flut-Flut over to you. I would give you the Zoomer, but there's something wrong with it and I'm fixing it. It should be good by the time you guys get back." Jak looked around and saw a Trans-Pad about fifty feet away. He nudged Daxter and pointed it out.

"Yea, you can send it now, we're almost to it."

"Kay. Good luck guys."

As Jak and Daxter neared the Trans-Pad, they saw the Flut-Flut with a harness around her back. Jak walked up to her and patted her beak softly. The Flut-Flut bowed its head, a sign that Jak was allowed to mount it. Jak climbed up and tugged gently on the harness. The Flut-Flut took off as fast as it could go, jumping twenty feet forward at a time to get over the tar pits. After five minutes of wild riding, Jak got off and walked to Flut-Flut over to another Trans-Pad and nodded good-bye as Daxter called Keira and told her that the Flut-Flut was ready to be taken back.

Jak continued walking and spotted two Lurker Scouts guarding a crate. Jak snuck up behind them and smashed their skulls together, knocking them out. He opened the crate and saw a Green Eco Orb as big as he was. Jak stared at it for a second before absorbing the entire thing into his Green Eco Box and filling it up completely. Jak sat down and took a deep breath.

"Hey buddy what's wrong?" Daxter asked as Jak closed his eyes and opened them again. Daxter saw up close Jak was exhausted. Daxter went into Jak's backpack and pulled out a sandwich. Jak gave Daxter a grateful look and bolted the sandwich. Jak looked at the sky; it had been cloudy ever since he had entered here. Jak squinted and looked closer at the sky; he saw a curl of smoke in the distance. Jak got up and made a beeline for it. He was so intent that he didn't realize for thirty seconds that Daxter was standing back where he had sat down, a hurt look on his face. Jak went back and let Daxter climb up, an apology written all over his face. Daxter laughed at how Jak looked, almost like a kid that had been caught misbehaving. As Jak got closer to the smoke, he saw it was coming from a very small shack. Very tall though, Jak put it at thirty feet tall. It was only big enough for him to lie down across though, very peculiar design, Jak pondered. He spotted a man sitting in front of the house, holding what a bottle and one hand and what looked like a metal pipe with a piece of wood on one end. Jak walked up to the man, waving hello to show that he was friendly.

"Hey friends. The name's Billy. Billy Bob. What's your names?" He said in a very powerful hillbilly Southern accent.

"I'm Daxter and this is my friend Jak."

"Well, howdy, friends! Enjoyin' my beautiful swamp? I own these here parts." He said, motioning the surroundings with his hands. "Everything that doesn't sink into the mud, that is! He ha ha hah aha...!" He said as he went into a laughing bout, slapping his knee and taking a swig of whatever was in his bottle. Jak and Daxter exchanged looks that clearly said they were wondering about the mental stability of this man. Daxter leaned in and took a smell of the man.

"Judging from the smell, I'd wager your bathtub sank into the mud long ago!" He said, pointing at Billy with one hand and holding his nose with the other. Jak thought that Daxter was being a little rude, but could not help agreeing; it seemed as though the smell that plagued the swamp originated from this house, particularly the man inside it.

"...What's a bathtub?" Billy asked, scratching his head. Jak and Daxter exchanged looks of a mixture of horror and disgust. "Anyway, I got bigger problems now." Billy continued.

"Great. Now this guy is gonna ask me to do him a favor," Jak thought. He was right on the money in this case.

"Seems some nasty Lurker varmints are grousin' abouts snatchin' everything they can get their grubby little paws on. Scared away my pet Hip-Hog, Farley. He's been missin' for a nylon to a coon's age! I've been puttin' out his favorite snack, but those ornery swamp-brats keep stealin' 'em! If you could help me keep them pesky critters away long enough, I just know Farley would smell 'em and come back! Will ya help me out?" Jak thought for a moment and agreed.

"All right. You can stand over there in that Yellow Eco Vent and blast 'em as you see 'em. I'll take the right side." Jak nodded. After standing in the Vent for a minute, Jak saw the Rats begin creeping towards the snacks that Billy had put out. Daxter was eyeing the snacks hungrily from where he had been tied down; Billy said that he used a type of mushroom that was irresistible to rodents and Hip-Hogs. Jak started firing wildly at the Rats partly because he had an unlimited supply of Eco and partly because he wanted to win his bet. The deal between him and Billy was the one who killed more Rats got a Power Cell. After a few minutes of frantic shooting, Jak untied Daxter and the two of them made their way back to the hut, where Billy could be seen with an orange creature. Jak looked closer at it; he had never seen anything quite like it before. It had a Croca-Dog's tail, a hippopotamus' mouth, and the legs and body of a pig.

"Farley! Oh, thanks a lot for helpin' me out. How many of them critters did ya kill?"

"We killed seventy-four Rats. You?"

"Well, fry my hide! I only managed to gun down thirty-seven of them varmints. You sure know how to shoot! Thanks a heap for the help! Not only am I gonna give this here Power Cell, but I'm also gonna give you friends a night at my house."

Jak politely shook his head no, but Daxter spoke up for him. "Thanks a lot man. You don't know how tired we are; we've walked all the way from Rock Village."

The next day dawned and Jak woke up bright and early. The bed that Billy had given him made him feel very refreshed; who knew sleeping on tar wrapped in leaves would be so comfortable? He picked Daxter up and left a note saying thanks to Billy on the table. Putting Daxter in his backpack so as not to wake his fuzzy companion up. Jak climbed a wall scaling even higher than Billy's house, but that was where Billy had said the last tether was. Jak patted his belt: Billy had been kind enough to refill all of Jak's Eco Boxes; you really did meet the nicest people in the strangest places. As Jak reached the top, he saw the boulder on the ground below him. Jak jumped down to the ground, rolling at the last second so he didn't hurt himself or Daxter. Jak walked confidently to the tether, but stopped suddenly. He sniffed and a foreign scent invaded his nostrils. It smelled like Dark Eco, but it also smelled of something that was elfish. Jak turned around and saw the demon on the other side of the field. As if on cue, a wind picked up, ruffling their clothes and hair as they stared at each other, dislike etched into every line of their faces. Jak looked closer at the Legatee-spawn. He was pretty sure he had blown off this thing's arm, but there it was standing, both arms looking solidly in place.

Jak made a feinting motion with his body to his left. The demon took the bait and moved. Jak smirked and shot at it with a blast of Yellow Eco. His opponent leapt into the air and dived at Jak, claws extended. Jak activated his Blue Eco Box and halted the creature. He threw it into the mountain, but as it went flying, the monster grabbed Jak's wrist, so he was dragged along with it. The two of them smashed into the mountainside and quickly got up. The monster threw a punch at Jak with its left arm. Jak dodged to the outside of the creature, who smirked. It extended a sword from its wrist and made a slicing motion through the air. Jak was caught unprepared for this and paid for it dearly. As he slumped to the ground, clutching at the three-inch deep graze along his torso, the demon hit him with a sidekick in his ribs, breaking three of them. Jak hit the ground, his head spinning and his body aching. His hand weakly and slowly traveled to his Green Eco Box. The demon saw his movement and stomped on his arm, reducing the bones in it to resemble something from Pickup-Sticks. Jak's eyes bugged and he started thrashing around on the ground, his mouth open in a silent scream of pain and anguish. Suddenly the monster above him left out a roar and Jak prepared to die; there was no way he could block whatever the monster was planning next. He couldn't even move half his body without feeling terrible pain.

"Jak! Hurry up, I don't think I can keep this thing distracted any longer." Daxter cried out. Jak looked up from the ground and saw his adversary making frantic attempts to remove Daxter's teeth from its arm. Jak quickly moved his uninjured arm and hit the button on his Green Eco Box. He let out a sigh of relief as the recuperative forces of the Green Eco traveled through his body, removing all pain and injury. Jak lay on the ground, gasping for breath and taking stock of the situation. He had full Red and Blue Eco, but he had just used all of his Green and he had most of his Yellow. As he trued to think of a battle plan, a discontinuation of Daxter's screaming made him look up. What his saw made his brain become consumed with anger and worry: the demon had pried Daxter off of it and was pinching Daxter's throat. Daxter wriggled as his body fought for air, desperate to live. The demon had a sick smile on it as it watched the rat in its hands try to get away. Suddenly, it felt a tap on its shoulder. It turned around and was shocked: its opponent was standing, not a scratch on him and his eyes were blazing with fury. In fact, his whole body seemed to be giving off a reddish glow. Jak put one hand around Daxter's body and squeezed him gently, so as not to hurt his friend. He made his other hand a fist and socked the monster straight in its nose. The demon went flying back, holding its nose and Jak charged it. The fiend eagerly engaged Jak once again in hand-to-hand combat. Jak calmly blocked everything the demon threw at him, making sure that he blocked harder than was necessary. Eventually, the demon leapt back and rubbed her arm: Jak had severely bruised them with his powerful blocks. Jak used the last of his Red Eco to grab the monster by the throat and threw it into the ground. He then kicked it up into the air and grabbed its chest. Jak spun in a circle and threw it into the cliffside. He then rapidly fired all of his Yellow Eco in mini blasts until he was almost. He then used his energy to make a wide arcing shot that sawed the top of the mountain off. He then used the very last blast he had to shatter it into a bunch of pieces. He turned his Blue Eco Box on and levitated all of the pieces of rock. He sent most of them flying at the demon but used one or two to smash into the cliffside to get more. He continued like this until there was a small mountain of rocks over the demon and he was out of Eco. He put his hands on his knees and took deep breaths. Suddenly a rumbling sound made its way to his ears. He looked up and saw the demon burst out of the rubble, cut and bruised all over. It snarled at Jak, who made a growling sound deep in his throat and put his hands on his belt. He drew his Hookshot with one hand and put the other hand on his Eco Boxes. He knew full well that he was out of Eco, but he was hoping that the monster didn't notice.

Suddenly, the old man appeared in a puff of smoke. "Well done Jak, but I am afraid that I cannot allow you to kill my apprentice; I will have need of her." He turned around and put his hand on his tyro's head and they both vanished. Jak sighed with relief; they had bought his bluff.

"Jak! Daxter!" Jak's ears twitched, what on earth was Keira doing here?

"There they are Keira. Hold on, I'll levitate us up there." Samos and Keira floated up from the entrance of Boggy Swamp. Jak's eyes widened in surprise, he and Daxter had traveled in a complete circle. They arrived and Daxter gave them a story on all that had happened during the day before and the battle. Jak sighed and looked over at the tether; the final one. He took aim with the Hookshot and prepared to fire at it.

"Wait a second Jak, don't cut that yet." Jak looked over at Keira in confusion.

"According to the Blue Sage, the Lurkers stole a Blue Eco Cannon from his hut last week. He saw the Lurker Bats fly into this dirigible and was going to come here and put a stop to this. He disappeared before he could, unfortunately. But if we go up there, then we might just be able to find it." Jak shook his head and pointed at Keira, clearly saying it was too dangerous for her. Her eyes narrowed.

"Listen Jak, I might not be able to Channel Eco the way you can, but I'm a damn good fighter, and I'll be damned if I let you go up there without me. I helped defend the village, I brought my bow and arrows, and if you want to stop me, the you'll have to fight me. Do I make myself clear Jak?" Keira said furiously as she marched up to Jak and poked him in the chest. Her eyes were narrowed in anger but Jak could also see she wasn't really going to hurt him, he could tell a part of her wanted to laugh. He shuddered as she glared at him, all funniness from her eyes gone. He nodded feebly and gave a silent prayer to the Precursors that nothing happened to Keira. Jak lifted Keira onto his back and put Daxter on his shoulder. He helped Samos onto the tether then climbed up. He took aim with the Hookshot once again and sliced the tether in half. He and Samos then began their climb up the tether to the Lurkers' dirigible, and whatever laid up there waiting for them.

Well, I won't be updating for a while, but I will probably post something up on the 2nd or 3rd. I'm going away on a cruise and won't be able to update, but hopefully I'll be able to work on it and update when I get home. If you have any questions, comments (I sound like a food product) ideas, flames, etc. review and let me know. Thanks.

This is an email in response to a question Red Mage 04 sent me. You can read it, but it really doesn't do anything for you, it was in response to a question.

Dear Red Mage 04

From what I have gathered, I don't think that you will be sticking to the little Ottsels as Precursors. As for weapon ideas, I have shared with you anything I know, but I am flattered that you continue to ask me for help.

As for vehicles, I will consult my friend, he is highly knowledgeable about such things, while I am not.

If you are looking for powers for each soldier, I belive that I can help you with that. The Zealots are Red Eco based, so in addition to have them being incredibly strong, you should also make them of moderate speed. It is my understanding that Red Eco enhances the muscles, not just strength. If one's leg muscles were greatly advanced, then one's speed would greatly increase. Also, by me saying this, I am sort of giving you a sneak preview into my own story. As a unique attribute to them, why don't you give the Zealots the power of Gambit from the X-Men. Let them Channel Red Eco into a rock or broken piece of epipment, and within a few seconds, that object will detonate. They could blow up their enemy technology.

Dragoons are correctly used as light infantry, as they are light and speedy. Instead of giving them planes, why don't you let them fly. Blue Eco is the energy of motion, so why shouldn't they be allowed to move themselves through the air of their own free will. You could also give them Jak's power, the one in my story that is. You could allow them to levitate objects and send them hurling at opponents. This (when combined with the Zealot's power to make anything into a virtuall bomb), could be a very deadly combo. Another power you could give them is the power to take motion away from others. For example, lets say a tank is racing towards a Dragoon. By taking the motion away from the tank, the Dragoon renders it useless.

Reavors I unfortunately can't help you with, as I have given you all of my help with Dark Jak.

Archons sound very powerful, so I would not send them out very early. They could have the power of lightning, energy waves, time freeze, anything. Some people do not know that Light Eco does not really exist, it is actually a result of Red, Yellow, Blue and Green. This is why it has the properties of all of them, so that makes them very flexible.

Templars are correctly used as long range supprt troops, but I think that they can also use Yellow Eco in a fight. Why not let them Channel Yellow Eco into a the form of a sword. Or a shield. Another suggestion I have for you is to give them complete control ovdr the blasts they shoot. If they fire and they miss, let them control the blast and make it change direction. Also, you can make the bast be like a scythe, long, thin and sharp, letting them cut through anything.

Arbitars would definitly be the main target of the opposin army, so you should let them be able to shield themselves by Channeling Green Eco around themselves, much like Light Jak's Light Shield.

That is unfortuately all the assisstance I am able to provide, and I do hope that it was helpful. Good luck on your story.

Your fan and friend,

Farr2rich


	11. Aboard the Dirigible

Red Mage 04: Your most welcome for any advice I was able to provide, but as to any other emails, I have not recieved them, so if it isn't too much trouble, I would like you to send it again. Thanks for complimenting me on the detail, as I always think that I need more in my work. As for Keira, I believe that she always knew how to fight. Her people and the Lurkers constantly battled, so she must have known somew self defense. You will be happy to hear, I hope, that the Yellow Eco Temple is coming up next chapter. Good luck in your own work, which I shall read and review on Monday, as I'm dead tired now.

Keeroshu: I did indeed have fun on the cruise, and I hope that whatever you are doing while you are away, you enjoy it. My sincerest apologies for having not reviewed your work, but I've been busy. I'm going to do it tomorrow (Monday).

Disclaimer: I. Don't. Own. This.

If anyone gets confused, look at the bottom of the story and all will be explained.

* * *

Aboard The Dirigible

Jak and Samos shimmied up the tether leading to the dirigible for what felt like an hour to Keira. They frequently stopped so that Jak could take out the patrolling Lurker Hawks with his Hookshot. At last they reached the top and Jak pried open a door so they could get inside. Keira quickly ran to a map of the ship and tore it off the wall.

"Okay. It looks like if we want to find the Blue Eco Cannon, we need to shut off the entire ship's power, because it says here the Cannon is in a safe." Keira explained as she pointed to a spot on the map. "If we try to blow it up, we might wind up blowing up the whole dirigible," she added, as she saw Daxter open his mouth. Daxter shut his mouth and pouted, not only because they couldn't do it an easier, and in his opinion a more fun way, but he had become predictable and Keira knew how to shut him up before he spoke.

"So all we gotta do is shut the power down? That sounds easy. I say we split up. I'll go with Keira, and Jak can go with old lump-on-a-log." Two stares and a glare met this new come on attempt from Daxter.

"Actually, Daxter, you're right; we do need to split up. It says here in order to shut down the whole blimp, we need to hit four switches at the same time. I'll take the path through the engine room, since I'm good with machines. Daxter, we're really going to need you, because one of the rooms is only accessible through a ventilation shaft, and you're the only one that can get through something that small okay?" Keira asked him, hoping he would say yes. She normally wouldn't have worried, but the map clearly outlined all of the dangerous booby-traps that he was likely to encounter.

"You can count on me Keira." Daxter said with his cocky grin firmly in place. Keira pointed at the ambushes and opened her mouth, but Daxter (as usual) beat her to it. "I know it's going to be dangerous, but Jak saved me, so I owe him big time. And besides, I want revenge on these bastards for turning me into this. And for attacking the village," he added in a growl. Jak, Samos and Keira stared at him; rarely did they see such enthusiasm from him.

"Well anyway, that's two switches down. Dad, I think you should go through the greenhouse section; there's some rare species of plants there that can produce small quantities of Eco. I think Jak should go this way," she said as she traced a path through the ship to a corner labeled with a red circle. "It's guarded the heaviest, and it's the longest, but it also runs through the Eco Cache. Not only will you be able to recharge all of your Eco Boxes, but you'll also be able to blow up all of the Dark Eco they have onboard." Jak smiled and nodded, causing butterflies to erupt in Keira's stomach briefly. She shook her head and refocused her mind back on the task on hand. "Okay, everyone take a communicator." She handed two to Jak, who gave her a puzzled look, as did Daxter, as he hadn't received any. "Daxter, I want you to go with Jak, since the shortest and safest route to switch is right above Jak's switch."

"Gotcha."

"This is a very good plan Keira. Okay, everyone ready? Communicator's in place? Rodents on shoulders are firmly secured?" He asked, getting affirmative nods from Daxter, Keira and then Jak, respectfully. "Okay then men. And woman. Let's move out."

Jak nodded and set off down his corridor, his brain registering how very general-like Samos had sounded. It was almost as if he was used to giving soldiers assignments and commands. Jak shook his head and sped up, anxious to get to the switch first, so he could impress Keira.

* * *

Keira made her way down the engine room hallway, thinking about Jak, and how light she felt whenever he smiled. She frowned; why was it the one she liked so much was burdened with such power? She remembered how Samos had told them that with great power came great responsibility. Jak seemed to have taken that lesson to heart; he always used his power for good. She had never seen him use his power for selfish gain; it was always to protect someone. She stopped her train of thought as she heard footsteps. Peering around a corner, she saw the Lurker Scouts patrolling the room that the engine was in. She took aim and chucked her wrench at one of them. A satisfyingly loud thunk followed, shortly followed by the unmistakable sound of a body slumping to the ground. She jumped around the corner, drawing her bow and arrow as she did so. Two seconds later and both of the Lurkers that she hadn't hit with the wrench fell to the ground with arrows sticking out of their heads. Keira sighed with relief that she had managed to take them out without raising an alarm, but suddenly, five more Scouts entered the room. She froze as they stared at each other for a second. She quickly drew her bow and arrow and took the five of them down, wasting only one arrow in the process. She continued on her way to the door, but once she got there she stopped.

"I wonder..." she muttered to herself as she stared at the engine. She hesitated for a second, but then began working on it, fiddling with everything. After a few minutes, she gazed with satisfaction at the sabotage she had managed to inflict.

* * *

"By the Precursors. I didn't realize the Green Tulip existed anymore." Samos walked through the greenhouse section of the dirigible, gazing around at the rare species of flora. He walked through slowly, not wanting to miss anything. He gazed at the various plants that the Lurkers had collected. Part of him wondered why they had bothered to save these plants, when usually all the Lurkers cared about was destruction. Suddenly he realized he had become surrounded by Lurker Flyers. He raised his staff and spun it in his fingers. A green disk rose up and expanded until it was fifty feet in circumference. It sliced through the Lurkers, who dropped to the ground, as they were unable to support themselves on inch long wings. As they began wailing in pain, the elderly mystic shot beams of Green Eco at them and effectively shut them up by blowing their heads to pieces.

"So uncivilized," he muttered as he continued in his way, consulting his section of the map.

* * *

"Jak, look out. They're coming up behind us." Daxter called as Jak sprinted down a hallway, checking his map to make sure he was heading towards the Eco Cache. He turned around and saw Daxter was right, the Lurker Kickers were indeed gaining on him. A crazy idea suddenly sprung into Jak's head and he began slowing down enough so that the Kickers could gain on him. When he saw one of them stretch its puny arm out for him, he stopped short and drew his Hookshot. As they turned around, the left one got a metal arrowhead straight through its head at the point between the eyes. As it slumped, Jak pulled on the Hookshot and made it slam into the other Kicker feet first. The second Lurker Kicker gasped for breath as it felt the claws on the first Lurker's foot puncture its throat. As it thrashed around on the floor, blood gushing out of three inch deep holes in its neck, Jak lifted it up by its head and snapped its neck, killing it off much faster. Jak looked with satisfaction at his work but then frowned; if another Lurker was to come, it would be obvious that there was an intruder. Jak snapped his fingers as another crazy idea came to his mind. He twisted and entwined the arms of the Kickers and then threw them up at the ceiling. As their claws sank into the wood, they stayed up there, not in plain sight. Jak also noted with some happiness that the ceiling was so high up that they would not be noticeable; he knew where they were and even he had to stare to see them.

"Nice job Jak. I could've handled them with a snap of my fingers, but I figured I should let you get some training in." Jak smirked at this; Daxter always knew how to make him laugh. If he could, Jak would have laughed at the sight of his friend flexing the muscles that he didn't. He settled for shaking his head and continued deeper into the dirigible.

* * *

As Keira rounded another corner, she spotted a long hallway. "Great. This is probably just another hall with a bunch of Precursor-forsaken traps in it just waiting to kill me." She looked around, but couldn't see any traps. "That doesn't mean there weren't any, I just can't see them." She grumbled to herself. As she took a step, the tile she put her foot on sank slightly and suddenly arrows flew at her from the walls, and from the looks of the tips, they were poisonous, Keira thought right as they closed in on her.

* * *

"Blasted map. Can't these Lurkers even make an accurate map? I don't see this section of the ship anywhere," Samos grumbled as he looked around in bafflement. "From the looks of that sign, I'm in the northern quadrant of the greenhouses. And I need to go south so I can find that switch." Samos continued to gripe as he tried to get his bearings. Suddenly, a foreign odor made its way to his nose. "What is that smell?" It was unpleasant, but oddly seductive. Samos wracked his mind, trying to think of where he had smelled this aroma before. He gasped as memories of a certain afternoon flooded his mind.

"I still don't see why you wanted me here Gol." Samos' voice cut through the darkness of the caves, the light at the end of Samos' staff guiding them.

"It is simple. As you are the one who saved me from the Lurkers when I was just a savant." Gol looked fondly at the man that had saved his life and taught him so much. "And besides, you're not the only one I invited. Maya is here as well, is she not?"

"You tell me. You said that she would be here, yet I do not see her."

"Forgive me, my old friend. I should have made my meaning clearer. She has gone ahead, as my younger sister is impatient. She will meet us at the pools."

"What pools?"

"Samos, you know that I have desired to find Dark Eco, to take some with me so I could fully understand it. I know that you feel we should leave it alone, but I disagree. Dark Eco is a marvelous substance."

"Gol, we have been through this. Dark Eco is dangerous, and it is to be treated with a certain degree of fear."

"Samos, you were the one who told me, I think it was seven years ago, that we elves fear only that which we do not understand. It was you who prevented the fine villagers of Sandover from driving that boy out of the village. Why did they want to do that again?"

"Because they did not understand his powers. I know that Jak is a powerful Channeler, one that might be able to do things even we Sages cannot."

"And they feared him because they didn't understand him, correct?"

"You accurately summed it up. Where, might I ask, are you going?"

"I told you Samos; you will see when we get there."

"I meant with this conversation."

"Ah. Well, like it or not Samos, you are acting very much like the villagers did that day. You do not fully understand Dark Eco, and so you fear it. But if I were to discover all of its aspects and characteristics, I would be able to do what the other Sages can. I would be able to control Dark-"

"Gol, we've been through this. Dark Eco can not be controlled. It is too powerful. You might be able to understand it, one day, but Dark Eco is uncontrollable." Samos said sternly, peering at his fellow Sage over the rim of his glasses. He thought he saw a ripple of red stir behind the dark brown of Gol's eyes, but he blinked and it was gone.

"W shall see. Once I understand Dark Eco, I will be able to determine which one of us is correct. I will discover if Dark Eco can be controlled. Ah, Maya is up ahead, I can see her."

"Hello brother. Hello Samos." Maya greeted her brother and his friend.

"Greetings Maya. I hope you are well?" Samos inquired. He gave the very attractive woman in front of him a quick look up and down, and she seemed to be fine.

"I'm quite fine thank you. Well, shall we show him?"

"Yes, let's. Samos, this is what I wanted to show you, Maya and I have discovered a pool of Dark Eco, and we were wondering if you wanted to see it."

"Gol, you know I wanted no part in your Dark Eco investigation. But what is that odor?"

"Oh that? That's the smell Dark Eco makes when it turns into a gas phase."

"Is it safe to be breathing then?" Samos exclaimed in alarm.

Gol and Maya laughed at what they considered predictable behavior from the Green Sage. "Do not fret old friend. This is such a low concentration of Dark Eco that you could live here and nothing would happen to you." Gol said, wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes.

"My brother is right Samos. If you do not believe us, then just look for yourself at the fauna here; perhaps that will put your mind at ease." Maya added, gesturing at the various creatures lurking in the shadows. Samos looked around and saw that the two of them were right; large, evil looking and dangerous though they always looked, Samos had to admit that the spiders were looking very healthy and average.

Samos remembered the scent well, but if he remembered correctly, the Lurkers knew he was there and they were releasing Dark Eco to try to kill them. Cursing them all mentally, Samos took off at top speed in the direction he believed to be south. As he made his way to the exit, the Dark Eco billowed around him and he held his breath. He put his right hand above his head and made a circle three times, his hand moving counter-clockwise and hoped that what he was planning.

* * *

Jak stared around in amazement at the Eco Cache he had managed to infiltrate. There were literally hundreds of crates with every type of Eco: Blue, Red, Yellow, Green and Dark. Jak smashed all of the crates except for the Dark ones. When he had absorbed as much Eco as he was able, Jak blew all of the Dark Crates up with Yellow Eco. He then refilled his Yellow Box and left the Eco Cache. He took a few steps, then stopped. He nudged Daxter and pointed to a ventilation shaft.

"Oh no. Keira said that the safest route would be when you find your switch." Jak nodded and pulled out the map. He traced a path with his finger, showing a shorter, but definitely more dangerous, path. Daxter grumbled, but agreed, on the condition that Jak would have to fry him up some Yakow leg. Jak grinned and shook Daxter's paw. He handed Daxter the part of the map that showed the ventilation shafts and levitated his furry friend up into the shaft and waved goodbye. Jak continued, praying that nothing happened to his friend because of his decision. He cautiously made his way through the ship, taking out the Scouts that he saw. After five minutes of walking and having managed to avoid tripping any alarms, Jak was a bit disappointed; he had been expecting more of a challenge. Suddenly, a stomping sound caught his ears. Jak turned around and saw no less then ten Generals heading for him. An ironic smile made its way across Jak's face as he prepared for battle.

The Lurker General in the lead caught the Hookshot between the eyes. Jak reeled the body in closer to him and took the club from it. He tossed the body aside and flipped the club so that he was holding the thin side. Jak threw the club like a boomerang with such force that the front three Lurker Generals had their rib cages shattered. Jak noticed that two Generals had put their clubs down and their hands were glowing red. Jak was slightly surprised; he had never fought Generals while they Channeled Red Eco. They stood on either side of him and began wildly throwing punches at him. Jak blocked them both with one arm each. The Lurker on his left one of his punches out a little to long, and Jak seized its wrist. He continued blocking the one on the right and pushed it back a foot. He then smashed the Lurker that he had a grip on into the one on his right. As both of them stood still, dazed from this unexpected and unorthodox technique, Jak turned on his Red Eco Box. He gripped them both by their chests and hurled them away from his body and into the bodies of two other Generals. A bellow of rage from behind Jak caught his attention. Without even looking, Jak did a back flip, catching the General behind him by the shoulder. As Jak landed, he smashed the helmet of the General on the floor. He flipped it around and snapped its neck, feeling the General go limp in his hands. He dropped it and looked around for the last General. He didn't have to look long, as he promptly saw it running down the hall as fast as it could. It didn't get very far before a Yellow Eco blast tore a hole in its chest.

Jak sighed in satisfaction; while it hadn't exactly been challenging, the fight had at least let him get rid of the excess energy he had been feeling ever since he had killed, or more likely, incapacitated for a short time, that demon. Jak shuddered at he thought about how much more powerful it had become in such a short amount of time. Jak came to a fork, one road going left, one path going right, and a third corridor continuing straight. Jak consulted his map and saw they all led to the same place. The two one the sides had fewer snares (the one on the right was empty in fact) but both were about three times longer than the path that continued in the same direction he had been going in the entire time. Jak took a deep breath and entered the door, taking note that this was a significantly darker path than any he had yet to travel.

* * *

Keira got to her feet shakily. "That was a close one," she thought as she looked around. The arrows had made a few rips in her clothing, but other than that, she felt fine. She cautiously made her way through the hallway again, putting her foot gently down before putting any weight on it. After what felt like to her an hour, she reached the end and looked around. She saw the gigantic switch labeled "POWER" and walked over to it. Suddenly, the doors behind her slammed shut. She looked wildly around, positive that something was going to enter the room. The door behind her opened again. A single Lurker came out of it, making Keira go white with fear. Six feet tall, two feet wide, with a sunken chest, this Lurker was not very physically muscular. What worried her was the fact that it had two crossbows attached to each of its arms, with a chain of arrows on the sides. She gulped as she realized that she was going to have to try to kill a Lurker Archer, and that was something she had never intended on. She drew her bow and arrow and faced her opponent without fear.

* * *

Samos stumbled through the door and slammed them shut, gasping for breath. The shield he had erected over his body faded from sight. Even though the shield had protected his skin, if Samos had breathed, the corrosive powers of the Dark Eco gas would have wreaked havoc on his internal organs. Samos breathed deeply and consulted his map. Because of the landmarks in the room, the most noticeable being the control panel in front of him, Samos deduced that he was only one room away from the power switch.

Samos walked through the door and paused. He had been foolish not to expect a bodyguard. He assumed a battled stance and prepared to fight the Lurker Scorpion.

* * *

Jak leaped into the air to avoid the walls crushing him. He had noticed that the path seemed to be narrowing when he realized that the walls on either side of him were closing in on each other. He had tried to get to the end, but the walls closing in on him for the next fifty feet. At the last second he had leaped into the air while Channeling Red Eco. As he descended, Jak watched as the walls widened again, leaving room for him to walk again. As he looked down, Jak began to panic. The floor had given way, and a pool of nothing other than Dark Eco was waiting to devour him when he landed. Jak tried to grab on the walls, but he saw to his dismay that they were smooth, polished by the feel of it. Jak began to panic, his fear obscuring rational thought. Suddenly, he remembered his Hookshot. Jak quickly fired it ahead and up; not really caring what he hit, as long as it was sturdy enough to hold him. He heard a thunk and reeled himself in. He dropped down to the floor, which was mercifully still there. Jak began running as fast as he could; he didn't want to remain in this hallway any longer then was necessary.

As he ran, a whirring sound caught his attention. He looked backwards and saw three razor sharp throwing stars spinning toward him. Jak stood still and prepared to move faster then he had ever moved before. As the first one passed, Jak bent backwards until the top of his head was touching the floor. He pushed up with his arms, propelling himself into the air. As he did so, he did a split in the air, avoiding the second shrunken. Jak landed on the floor and stood up. He jumped into the air to avoid the final star, but saw, to his immense displeasure, that it was going to curve towards him. Jak twisted his body so that he resembled a Twizzler and the third shrunken flew right by him.

Jak landed on the floor and sighed with relief. Suddenly, a flash of metal sliced his arm, leaving a clean, but two-inch deep, gash in his left arm. His mouth opened in a silent cry of hurt as he clutched his arm. He looked up to see what had hit him and saw about a hundred or so shrunkens heading for him. Jak quickly Channeled Blue Eco into his body and stopped them all. With a sigh, he lowered his hands, and the hundred shrunkens that were supposed to be killing him fell, useless, to the floor. Jak healed his arm and turned to leave. Before he did, Jak looked back.

"Hmm. These are made of metal. Keira would probably love it if I could get her some; especially since metal is so hard to come by." Jak decided to show off to himself, so he Channeled Blue Eco and made as many shrunkens as he could fly into a special compartment of his backpack. Turning around to continue, Jak hoped he had seen the last of the booby traps for this hallway.

* * *

"Damn it! How did I ever let Jak talk me into taking this route?" Daxter wondered as he climbed through the ventilation shafts. "You gotta hand it to these Lurkers; they sure do know how to keep security up." Daxter grumbled as he snuck up behind yet another Lurker Rat and snapped its furry neck. Daxter sighed, eventually, the Lurkers were going to figure out about him, and when that time came, he was going to be in trouble. He reached the end of the ventilation shaft after about ten minute of frantic climbing. As he dropped down into the room with the switch, a tremor rocked the ship. Daxter got to his feet; it sounded like something had crashed through the wall of the dirigible. A sudden hissing sound made Daxter turn around. He gulped, and whatever skin he had that wasn't covered in fur went white. He remained perfectly still as the six-foot long Lurker Snake flicked its tongue out, tasting a foreign scent in the air. It turned its eyes on Daxter, coiled it body, and pounced at the immobilized ottsel.

* * *

Keira moved from side to side very gracefully, dodging the arrows the Archer was sending at her. If Jak had been there, he would have been marveled at the grace and elegance with which she moved. What worried Keira wasn't the fact that she was facing an adversary that had an unlimited supply of poisonous arrows. No, what worried her was that she couldn't keep dodging his ammunition like this forever. Forget forever, she wouldn't be able to keep moving like this for much longer. She looked around at her opponent and saw he was wildly firing, not really caring what he hit. Keira thought about anything that might help her, but she felt lost. His body was made for dodging fire while those crossbows were made for retaliating. "Wait a second, that's it. I can't beat him from a distance; anything I send at him will be useless. But what if I get up close? Is he a good fighter? Will I be able to beat him in hand to hand combat? Well, only one way to find out."

Keira began weaving in and out of the arrows going in the direction of the Archer. She got closer and closer, but started getting little nicks on her skin. Hopefully, they aren't _too_ poisonous, she thought. When she got within a foot of him, she grabbed both his hands, preventing him from turning her into Swiss Cheese. She looked into his face and saw his eyes contract with fear. She pushed him from her body and drew her own bow and arrow. She launched three arrows at his chest and watched as they pierced his skin. As the Archer clutched at his chest, Keira got her wrench and brought it down on his skull. He sank down to the floor, dead, and she walked over to the switch. She slumped down to the wall, exhausted, and turned her communicator on. She had rigged them so that when they had all reached their appropriate switch, they would turn on their communicator. They all had three lights on them and when Keira activated hers, one light on each of the others would turn on. When all twelve lights were on, the communicator would count down. Keira smiled as she thought about how Jak would react if he saw her fight. With the thought of him carrying her away from the dirigible in her mind, she closed her eyes, and waited for the signal.

* * *

Samos blocked yet another blow from the Scorpion he was scuffling with. He pushed back with strength that one would not expect by looking at his small frame. He pushed the monster back and looked at it. Eight feet long, with dripping fangs, eight legs with razor sharp points, and a ten foot long tail, this was one Legatee of a creature, Samos thought. He saw absolutely no holes in its defenses, but he did see that its eyes were rather large. Samos stopped the dripping stings and twisted his staff. The two prongs on the top of his staff punctured the eyes of the Scorpion, which let out a screech. It began thrashing around on the floor, its razor sharp legs flailing in every direction as it brought its claws the size of Jak up to its eyes. Samos watched with pity as it thrashed around on the ground. Walking up to it, he placed the two prongs of his staff on its head and started sucking the life out of the Scorpion by draining the Green Eco from its body. Samos strolled over to the switch and activated his signal. He then sat and meditated, calming his mind and thinking about why the Lurkers were so active lately. He shrugged mentally and waited for the other two signals to come in.

* * *

"Precursor damn it! Can't these Lurkers stop with the booby traps? I sure hope Daxter is having better luck then I am." Jak thought as he blasted another Dark Eco Bomb, much like the one he had hurled at the Lurker General at Misty Island almost a month ago. He had stepped on a hidden floor switch and ten or so Dark Eco Bombs had been launched at him. After he had finished blowing the last of the grenades up, Jak Channeled Blue Eco and ran as fast as he could for the door, hoping to get there before he triggered another trap. He jumped headfirst through the door at the end and looked around after getting up. He stood up and saw a single Lurker waiting for him. There was something different about this one; he seemed far more intelligent than the rest of the pack. Jak couldn't put his finger on it, but there was a certain way this one carried himself that made Jak slightly uneasy.

Jak made a move as if he were going to attack and the effect was instantaneous. The Lurker jumped ten feet in the air and dived at Jak. It extended its three-inch claws and made a slash at Jak's face. Jak jumped to meet the attack and landed a punch right in its face. Jak smiled as he landed, only to feel a foot crash onto his back. Jak went flying forward and his face hit the wall. Hearing footsteps behind him, Jak waited until they paused and then vaulted into the air. The Lurker turned around and got Jak's foot in its face. Jak wasn't to be taken in again, as this time he started pummeling the body of the Lurker furiously, trying to knock it out. When its body rolled over, Jak turned around. Suddenly, an arm grabbed him by the throat. Jak struggled for a few seconds, trying to throw the Lurker off, but to no avail. Jak finally leaned forward and jumped into the air, feeling the body of the Lurker smash into the ceiling. Jak spun around to face it and saw, with a jolt of horror, that its body was as uninjured and intact as it was before Jak had damaged it. The Lurker let out a snarl and leaped at Jak, who Channeled Red Eco into his body and began using brute force to try to kill it. To his dismay every time he landed a blow, albeit he felt the energy of it, seemed useless: this Lurker type, whatever it was, seemed to regenerate and heal injuries almost immediately.

Jak turned his Red Eco Box off, as it wasn't doing him any good anyway, and turned his Yellow Eco Box on instead. He threw Yellow Eco blasts as fast and as hard as he could, but the odd metal on the Lurker's forearms seemed to have the ability to deflect them. Jak started to get annoyed; everything he tried seemed to be ineffective. Jak ran at the Lurker and held his pointer and middle fingers together. As he placed them on the shoulder of the Lurker, Jak made a flicking motion with his wrist. The Lurker roared as its arm was sliced off. Jak smiled triumphantly, but his smile soon turned into a look of horror. From the bleeding hole that the Lurker's arm used to reside in came bones. They grew longer and longer, until Jak was staring at a skeleton of an arm. Muscles and blood surrounded the bone until it looked like the Lurker had a two-foot, purple, pulsating, slimy slug sticking out of its shoulder. Skin began to grow, until the arm looked exactly like the one Jak saw lying on the ground. Jak's eyes widened in fear; this opponent seemed invincible. Jak noticed a window nearby and suddenly thought of a way to kill his opposition.

Jak charged at the Lurker and Channeled Blue Eco to increase his speed. He rammed the Lurker in the gut and forced it through the wall. As it fell, Jak Channeled Red Eco and put his fists together. He slammed his hands into the Lurkers skull and sent it plummeting to the ground. Jak then sent the rest of his Yellow Eco at to ensure that it was blasted into pieces. To ensure that the Lurker would die, Jak used his Blue Eco to increase the speed at which the Lurker fell. Sighing, Jak realized suddenly that he didn't have his Hookshot. He began to panic as he fell and closed his eyes against the wind that was stinging his eyes. Suddenly, the wind stopped. Jak looked around and saw that his body was glowing a light blue. He looked down, and even though the ground was still five miles below him, it was not getting any closer. Jak looked at the blimp beside him and saw that he was level with it. Jak suddenly felt elated; he was flying. He couldn't wait to see what Keira, Daxter, and particularly Samos thought of this new development in his powers. Jak flew up and into the dirigible, landing in the same room that the switch was in. He picked up his Hookshot off the floor, he guessed it had fallen when the Lurker had kicked him in the back. He took his communicator out and noticed Samos and Keira had already reached their destinations.

Jak flipped his switch and waited; hoping that Daxter was okay. If anything had happened to him because he had taken the path Jak had told him to, Jak didn't think he would be able to handle it. He reassured himself by pointing out to himself that, if Daxter had been hurt, everyone on the ship would know about it. Even though he was small, Jak knew that Daxter could raise his voice to volumes that Jak had never heard before. Jak sat down by his switch and looked at the ceiling, thinking about how he might use these powers on his journey. He decided that before he used his Blue Eco powers to fly again, he would have to see how much power it took, and how long he would be able to do it for. Jak's thoughts then drifted over to Keira, and he dreamily imagined how nice it would be if he saved her life, and got a kiss from her. With the thought of his lips closing over Keira's, Jak closed his eyes and waited for Daxter's signal to come through.

* * *

Daxter suddenly leaped into the air and landed on the head of the Snake. As he held on, he realized the only way he would survive would be if he fought back. He began biting and tearing at the Lurker Snake with his claws, trying to inflict as much pain on it as he could. . It writhed and thrashed about, finally getting Daxter off. Daxter landed on all fours and started growling at the Snake, who hissed back. The circled each other, each not getting in the range of the other. The Snake lunged again, and Daxter darted to the side. As the jaws of the Snake snapped shut on thin air, Daxter jumped on its body and began tearing at it while running down its spine. The Snake spun around and lunged once more and this time its aim was true. As its jaw shut over Daxter's leg, he cried out in pain and anger. He extended his claws one last time and stuck them right behind the Snake's eye sockets. Trying to hold his vomit in, he turned his wrists, and the eyes of the Snake were gouged out. It writhed around on the floor, shrieking from the blood loss until it no longer had the strength to move. As it gave one last cry, it hit the ground with a splat, mostly due to the fact that it had landed in a pool of its own blood. Daxter shook himself of all the blood that covered him and opened the communicator that he had slung around his back. He flipped his switch and saw that the others had already hit their switches.

"Everyone ready?" Daxter asked as he positioned himself between the handle and the wall.

"I'm up and ready to roll," Keira said.

"I'm good as well," Samos said.

They all threw their switch simultaneously. The effect was instantaneous; the entire ship went dark, and a loud grinding sound was heard, followed by an explosion.

"Um, Keira. What was that?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you guys. I rigged the engine to come undone when the power went off, but I didn't realize that I would cause an explosion. I think we should get out of here now."

"About that. Anyone have any ideas?"

"Yes Daxter, I managed to come up with one. I want you all to leap out of the dirigible. Jak can use his Hookshot to get us all in one spot. Then I can surround us all with a shield as we float back to the ground."

"Good idea dad."

"One question. What are the odds that we die?"

"About 50:50 Daxter, but if we remain here then we all die for sure."

Daxter sighed and resigned himself for the worst. "All right. But what about the Blue Eco Cannon?"

"We'll have to surrender that to the Lurkers Daxter. Hopefully, it will be destroyed in the explosion."

Everyone jumped out of the dirigible and aimed for the center of the bottom. Jak was there with his Hookshot and was dangling already. Keira, Daxter, and then Samos grabbed onto Jak's leg. Jak released his Hookshot and they all started falling. Figuring now was as good a time as any to show off his newly found abilities, Jak turned his Blue Eco Box and flew at the ground. Everyone started screaming as Jak got closer and closer. When they could see the people of Rock Village, Jak slowed them all and he landed gently on the walkway to Zeorro's. Everyone stared at Jak, who rubbed his neck and grinned sheepishly.

"Jak, you can fly?" Keira asked, hardly able to believe it. Jak nodded, blushing slightly. "Well, I guess it was just a matter of time before you pulled off a new stunt that no one else can do. That's our Jak," she said, chucking Jak under the chin. Jak went red and he looked away; Keira still embarrassed him when she acted like that.

Daxter looked around, not wanting to disturb the two of them for once, but after not seeing Samos, he had to. "Hey, anyone see oldie?"

"I'm in here Daxter. And Keira, don't feel bad about losing the cannon. I'm sure it was destroyed along with the rest of the dirigible." Keira nodded, she was a bit ashamed. "Anyway, Jak, I want you to go back to the Precursor Basin. There you will find a purple glowing ring. When you fly through it, another will appear. I want you to keep flying through them all until there aren't any more. If Zeorro was right, this will allow us to enter the Yellow Eco Precursor Temple. When you get back, I want to talk to you about this new ability." Jak nodded, eager to gain more abilities with which he could defeat the Lurkers. He turned around and started walking quickly towards the Precursor Basin.

* * *

Sorry it took so long to update. I did this in one day, because when I got back from the cruise, my parents surprised me with a week-long camping trip. Needless to say, finding a computer in the woods to update with was hard, and when I found it, it was taken. Anyway, if you have any question, comments (I sound like a food product), or ideas, please submit them. And if you are confused as to how exactly this story went, read every third section. For example, after Keira's forst section ends, scroll down until it begins again and when that ends, keep doing it. Keira, Samos and Jak have four sections, Daxter has two. To help you out, I will put the order down here.

Keira 1. Samos 1. Jak and Daxter 1. Keira 2. Samos 2. Jak and Daxter 2. Keira 3. Samos 3. Jak 3 (awesome game btw). Daxter 3. Keira 4. Samos 4. Jak 4. Daxter 4.

Also, if anyone could give me some new Lurker enemies, I would greatly appreciate it, as I'm running out.


	12. The Basin's Secret and the Second Temple

Red Mage 04- I am ecstatic that you reviewed, considering you are the only one that bothered to. I guess no one else considers my work worth treading, but seeing as you're the only one who does, I am obligated to continue writing on your behalf for two reasons. One: you want me to. And two: it's the least I can do to appease your greatness seeing as how you continue writing your own story. You're very welcome for the Precursor powers, and I do hope that they are of some use to you. Daxter will be fighting more in the future, there will eventually be one chapter that is split up between everyone's fights and I can assure you that Daxter will be included. Hopefully you will enjoy the Yellow Eco Temple, and I hope you enjoy the fight at the end.

Disclaimer: I do not own Jak, because if I did, then I would have made the first game out this way, no matter how badly it would have sold.

* * *

The Secret of the Basin and the Second Temple

"To the left Jak! Your left!" Daxter called out as he clutched to Jak. For once he wasn't telling Jak to run away, he was helping.

"I see the ring Daxter, sheesh; do you think I'm blind?" Jak thought as he turned sharply to his left. Navigating his way through these rings was taking every last ounce of his concentration and fortitude. Jak skillfully piloted his way up and around a tower, following the mysterious path the Precursors had set the rings in. At the top of the tower was a tunnel leading towards the entrance. Jak steered the A-Grav Zoomer into the tunnel and continued flying through the rings, being careful not to miss a single one. He didn't know what would happen if he did, but he was not anxious to find out.

Jak shot out of the end of the tunnel and realized he was far above the Precursor Basin. He looked down and for a moment could do nothing else but admire the beauty of the world. Daxter was quick to distract him by tapping him on the ear and then pointing in the distance. Jak saw what he assumed was the last of the Precursor Rings situated high in the air. His heart fell; he was too far away to reach it. Suddenly, Jak remembered that he had discovered he could fly. Turning on the stabilizer and vertical fans, Jak leapt off the Zoomer in the direction of the Ring. He activated his Blue Eco Box and took off in the direction of the Ring. He went through it and immediately a platform of Precursor metal appeared beneath him. Jak turned his Eco Box off and landed on it. To his relief, it did not fall, but supported his weight.

Jak once again looked around at the Precursor Basin. He looked up to see just how far away he could see. To the south he spotted his village, and beyond that was Misty Island. To his east lay the forest Jak now knew to be Boggy Swamp. To the north, and a bit to the west, Jak spotted another island, one that looked big enough to be a civilization. At the very back of the island was a mountain covered in a strange white substance. Gazing north, Jak saw a volcano emitting smoke, followed by a series of low mountains. He squinted, but was unable to make out anything else.

A rumbling sound caught Jak's attention and he gazed to the east. Beyond Rock Village, near the docks, a large building about the size of Zeorro's hut was rising out of the water. What Jak noticed was that it was made out of Precursor metal, which meant that it was very likely that the building was going to be the next Precursor Temple: the temple that housed the power of Yellow Eco.

Jak wondered how he was going to get back to the village and he scratched his head. As he moved his hand, the disk moved in accordance with his arm. Jak pointed to the hut and it took off so quickly Jak almost fell off of it. As he landed in front of the hut, he saw Keira and Samos waiting for him.

"Good work Jak. You must leave right away and go into this new temple; I'm sure a whole new world of powers and information awaits you in there." Samos said as he beamed at Jak. Keira pouted, but instantly tried to cover up for it. Samos had noticed and he immediately changed his tactics.

"Actually Jak, I'm sure you will have plenty of time for exploration tomorrow. After all, you've unlocked the temple and you destroyed the dirigible. I'd say you've earned a bit of a break." A look of relief came into Jak's face at these words.

"Great! That means that you can finally fry me up some Yakow leg, remember Jak?" Jak smiled and nodded, looking at Keira, who he was quite sure had been staring at him. As soon as he had moved his head, her eyes had flown elsewhere and her face had turned red.

Later that night, the Precursors found Jak lying in a field outside the Blue Sage's hut. He was gazing up at the stars; his eyes fixed particularly on the moon. He heard a rustle from behind him, but didn't respond. He could tell from the way the footsteps sounded that it was Keira. She sat down next to him and looked down at him. He propped himself up on his elbows and smiled at her. He noticed Daxter wasn't tagging along and made a motion on his shoulder. Keira understood and smirked.

"Daxter's inside, eating more of that fried Yakow. I think he's eaten his own weight." Jak chortled as he sat up next to Keira. "You know Jak; I'm worried about you." Jak looked at her, puzzled.

"You're always going off on one adventure or another. I know you're a Channeler, but I keep worrying about you." Keira bent her head toward the ground and closed her eyes, trying not to cry. Jak stood up and towered over her. He knelt down and put his hand under her chin and forced her to look up at him. He gave her a smile that clearly said that he would always be okay. Keira smiled and got up, standing about three inches shorter than Jak. She wrapped her arms around Jak, who did not respond for a few seconds. After a minute, Keira stepped back and broke their embrace.

"You better get some sleep if you're gonna tackle that Temple tomorrow." Jak nodded, his mind still preoccupied with how snugly her body had molded into his during their hug. A sharp poke in his chest brought him back to the present. "And you had better come back alive, or I'll kill you." She said as she glared at him, and he smiled at her. She pouted at his mocking her when she was trying to be tough. She tackled him, only to find herself crushed beneath his body. He looked down on her as she struggled against his superior weight and skill. He grinned as she smiled wryly up at him, and they both suddenly became aware of how close they were to each other. Their grins faded as their faces got closer. Their eyes closed as their lips got closer.

Suddenly a door burst open. "Jak, you'd better get some rest." Samos' voice called out. Jak shook his head and quickly got off Keira. They stood up, not looking at each other.

"Good night Jak," Keira mumbled as her face turned into a tomato. Jak nodded sheepishly and went inside. Once there, he collapsed on his bed and spent a good five minutes or so sending every curse he had ever heard at the Precursors, who seemed Legatee-bent on preventing letting him kiss Keira.

The next day, Jak woke up to a house that contained only him and Daxter. "Hey buddy, Samos and Keira went to investigate the levitation machine the Blue Sage built. They left breakfast for you, and Keira packed you a lunch. Oh, she also told me to let you know she refilled all your Eco Boxes." Jak nodded and got out of bed. After putting his blue tunic and white pants on, he attached his forearm armor and located his shoulder pad under the bed. How it had gotten there was beyond him. After eating and putting his belt on, Jak walked out of the house, picking his Hookshot up as he did so. He went in the direction of the docks and put Daxter into his backpack. Jak took a deep breath and dived into the water. He swam as fast as he could in the direction of the Temple entrance, but there was no need. For some reason, the Lurkers had abandoned the village. Jak was puzzled, but didn't exactly mind; he hated the Lurkers anyway.

Jak got into the hut shaped building and noticed a button on the floor. He stepped on it and the entire floor sank into the water. Jak looked around, but thankfully, the floor seemed to be sliding into an elevator, instead of just into the water. He looked around through the glass walls at the ocean floor: there were all types of sea creatures in this place. Finally, the elevator stopped, and Jak entered the Temple via a humongous set of doors. He walked in and saw another door, about a foot or two taller than him in front. Jak walked up to it and pushed it as had as he could. The door didn't budge, but a keyhole appeared. Jak looked around for a key, but didn't see one. But now that he took in his surroundings, he did notice that there were two warp gates. Sighing, Jak spun around until he was dizzy and then stopped. He walked towards the gate that he was facing (not very steadily, but he walked nonetheless). He took a deep breath, and then ran through the gate at full speed.

Jak landed in a room about the size of his house. He went up the steps in front of him and looked around. There was a hole in the wall in front of him. The only way to get to the other side would be to crawl under it, a manageable feat, as there was a hole in the bottom of the wall about a foot tall and two feet wide. Jak bent down and observed the tunnel he supposed he had to go through. He got on his hands and knees and began to crawl. At the end was a bright light. Jak crawled as fast as he could to get to the end and emerged in a room filled with torches. A small, thin statue, not more than four feet tall, in the center of the room was rotating; its single eye looking around. Jak walked up to it and instantly the eye swiveled to meet his gaze. The pupil shrank, and suddenly a beam of Yellow Eco shot out of its eye. It was aimed directly at Jak's chest and nailed its target, sending Jak flying against the wall, the beam digging into his chest. Jak gritted his teeth as he felt the beam begin to burn his flesh. Suddenly, the beam stopped, and he fell to the ground. He quickly healed himself via his Green Eco Box and stood up. He saw a sight that made his heart stop: Daxter was running wildly around in circles, and the statue was trying to hit him. Jak shot a blast of Yellow Eco at it without even thinking; the beam hit it directly in the eye and the entire statue exploded, sending bits of metal everywhere.

Jak stood up and looked around. Once again he was in a room with two doors, unlike last time, however, both were unlocked. Jak looked down at the exhausted Daxter, who looked back at him.

"I could really not care less which way we go. Left, right, up, down, forward, back, inside, outside. Its all the same to me."

Jak laughed inside his mind and picked Daxter up gently. He took the left door and opened it, cautiously looking around for any traps. A dead elf stood in the center, nothing remaining but its bones. As Jak entered the room, it stood up straighter and faced Jak. It bowed and drew a sword. Jak was taken back; never did he think he would have to defeat an already deceased elf that would bow to him before trying to kill him. Jak bowed back, never taking his eyes off of his opponent. The dead elf ran at Jak and swung its sword. Jak activated his Blue Eco Box and forced the blade to stop before it hit him. Jak ducked down and punched the elf right in the chest. Its chest imploded and its ribs caved in. The skeleton went flying backward and hit a wall. It stood up, its ribs repairing themselves as it once again charged Jak. Jak dodged the sword, while trying to think of a way to kill this thing. He supposed he would have to use a Yellow Eco Blast to kill it, considering he was in the Yellow Eco Temple. Jak back-flipped and charged a Yellow Eco Blast. As the warrior charged one last time, Jak shot a huge beam of Yellow Eco at the lifeless elf. Where the elf once stood, there was now only a pile of dust and a sword. Jak turned to leave the room , but then went back and took the sword. He laid it neatly by the dead combatant's ashes and knelt down at it.

"Um, Jak. What are you doing? Didn't that guy just try to kill you?" Jak made a shushing movement with his hand and stood up. He bowed to the ashes, and turned around. He turned around and leapt back. The dead elf was standing in front of him, its hands behind its back. Jak leapt back in a fighting stance and prepared to battle once more.

"No. There is no more need to fight." A deep voice came from the elf. Slowly, it came back to life, until Jak was staring at a powerfully built man, about three inches taller than him. The elf bowed to him once more. "You have demonstrated to me not only your strength, but your honor and respect as well. You may continue in this hallway." The elf turned around and put his hand on a wall. The wall melted away, revealing a hidden pathway. Jak nodded to the elf and continued on his way. He crossed a bridge over a pit of Dark Eco and saw four torches and a locked door. A sign hung above the door.

"Illuminate the path instantly, and the doors shall open for you." Jak shot a small ball of Yellow Eco at the torch and it burst into flames. It glowed briefly and then went out. Jak fired again and again, but always the torch went out after a few seconds. Jak thought a few seconds and then fired four blasts of Yellow Eco at once. All four torches burst into flames at once, and the door instantly opened, revealing a brightly lit room.

As Jak entered, he heard a scuttling sound coming from everywhere. He looked around and gulped: the room was full of gigantic spiders. One foot long, eight nine-inch legs, with red eyes and two-inch fangs protruding from their jaws. As Jak entered the room, they all hissed and rushed at him. As Daxter screamed in fear and began to move into the familiar compartment of Jak's backpack, Jak gathered the Yellow Eco residing in his body into his fingertips, making a small ball of Yellow Eco about the size of a marble gather at each one. He extended his fingers and each ball became a thin beam of energy. Jak moved his fingers and arms around and sent the beams around the room, shredding everything they came into contact with, particularly the flesh of the spiders.

Jak looked around the room and noticed that one wall was much rougher than the others were. He put his fingers in it and to his amazement they sunk in. He continued doing this, climbing up the rock and arriving at the top. He looked around and saw a symbol on the wall. Jak moved closer and saw it was a circle with eight straight lines protruding from it.

"Hey, isn't that the symbol of the sun? What do you think it means?" Jak shrugged and tried to think about what this puzzle could mean. "Maybe they want you to go for a walk in the forest?" Jak gave him a look. "Or maybe it means you have to look at something. Like Keira. I could look at her all day long." Daxter said as he got a glazed look in his eyes. He came back to reality when he heard a low growling sound coming from Jak's throat.

"Hehe, I was just kidding Jak." Daxter said quickly; he didn't like the glare Jak was giving him at all. "All right, I won't make anymore jokes about Keira. Sheesh, touchy, touchy." Daxter grumbled, a little annoyed that Jak had gotten so defensive of Keira.

"Hmm, I wonder what's been going on between them," he thought to himself. "I guess I'll just have to do a little snooping around and find out." He jumped when Jak snapped his fingers and gathered a small ball of Yellow Eco in his hand. He shot a beam at the sun, which instantly lit up. Just like when the dead elf had placed his hand on the wall, a section of the temple melted away and revealed a humongous cavern. Strangely enough, there was only one door at the other end of the grotto. Jak took a step, and the entire cave filled with a Yellow light. Jak looked around at the giant torches and realized that they were in reality Yellow Eco Vents. Jak made his way eagerly to one, but as he got near, a blast of Yellow Eco sent him flying backwards. Jak got to his feet and ran at the Yellow Eco Vent. Once again he was sent flying back by a powerful blast of Yellow Eco. Jak decided to take a different approach and fired his Hookshot directly into the Yellow Eco Vent. An explosion knocked him off his feet and a statue's eye rolled along the floor. Jak smirked at it as he walked into the Eco Vent. He recharged his Eco Box as well as Channeling some into his body. Jak walked across the chamber and walked through the door.

In this room was a multitude of mirrors, gray blacks and one window that had sunlight shining through. Puzzled, Jak walked over to the window and put his face up to it. Somehow, the Precursors had rigged this window to be a source of light, since as far as Jak could tell, they were all still underwater. Jak looked at the gray blocks and examined them. One of them had a symbol identical to the one that Jak had shot with Yellow Eco before. Jak shot it with Yellow Eco again, but this time it did nothing. Jak looked around at the mirrors and guessed what he had to do. After about five minutes, Jak put the final mirror in front of the window. Sunlight reflected and rebounded off the mirrors and finally hit the symbol of the sun. The block glowed bright yellow and then sank into the floor and revealed a hidden ladder. Jak climbed down and entered the next door. The next room held a vast quantity of ancient weapons such as swords and maces. As if to complete the collection, there was a truly glorious empty assembled suit of armor in the center of the room. As Jak entered, it let out a roar and charged him, ramming him in the stomach and sending him into a wall. Jak stood up and picked the armor up. He threw it into a wall and assumed an attack position. The armor retaliated by drawing a sword off the wall. Jak turned his Blue Eco Box on and made a sword fly odd the wall and into his hand.

The two began a swordfight, furiously striking and parrying as fast as they both were able. A number of times, Jak was saved by his forearm armor, which was luckily able to hold the sword off. Jak quickly gained the upper hand by using Red Eco to enhance both his strength and speed, and he drove the armor back. He stabbed and slashed, but the sword seemed to do no damage whatsoever to the ancient piece of defensive equipment. He growled in frustration and finally levitated the armor onto the ceiling. Jak then pulled all the swords towards him and sent them flying up at the armor, effectively turning it into a pincushion. A hidden door opened and Jak looked inside. On the floor was a bowl filled with what appeared to be liquid glass. Carved on the rim of the bowl was a message.

"Brave and mighty hero, to gain the power to reflect power, dip a portion of thy defense in the bowl." Jak looked at Daxter, who shrugged. Jak hesitantly untied his forearm armor and dipped them into the bowl. There was a bright flash of light that made both Jak and Daxter cover their eyes. When the light dimmed down, they both looked into the bowl. The liquid was gone, and only Jak's forearm armor remained tin the bowl. They looked very different now, as if they were made out of shining silver. As Jak pulled them out and put them on, he noticed that they had become much lighter.

"Oh what lovely jewelry. Does that come in my size, because my boyfriend thinks that they would better bring out the color of my eyes?" Daxter said in an unnecessarily high-pitched voice. As he said this, he brought his hands up to his chin as if he were a woman and batted his eyelashes. Jak's body shook as he inwardly laughed an he stood up and jumped through the warp gate that had appeared, wondering what new challenge awaited him on the other side.

Jak landed in the next room and realized that he was in fact at the very beginning of the Temple. He recognized it by the door that had the keyhole and the warp gate in front of him. As Jak still had no idea how to unlock the giant door, he continued walking and jumped right through to the other warp gate. He landed in a room with a giant stone block in front of him. Beyond that was what Jak assumed was the path that he needed to continue. Jak sat down and got out the lunch Keira had left him. He sighed contently as he enjoyed one and a half-fried Yakow with cheese sandwiches (Daxter had half of the second sandwich) and split a bottle of Wumpa fruit juice.

When Jak was finished eating he stood up and went over to the block. Its face was smooth except for two indents with handles in the middle. Jak wrapped his hands around them and pulled with all his might, trying to move the block. His efforts proved to be in vain, however, as he didn't even budge the obstruction even an inch. Jak caught his breath and turned on his Red Eco Box. He once again pulled as hard as he could, but it was to no avail. Suddenly, Daxter's high-pitched laughter pulled Jak back to reality. He looked down at his best friend, who was currently rolling around on the floor in hysterics. As Jak looked on in bewilderment, Daxter paused to catch his breath long enough to choke out some words.

"Try... reading the... sign, big guy..." was all he got out before he dissolved in hilarity once more. Jak turned off his Red Eco Box and gently put his hands on the stone block. He gently pushed and promptly fell flat on his face. He got up and watched the stone block travel down the path about twenty feet before sinking into a hole. Jak started down the pathway but stopped when he saw a bright yellow light. As it got closer, Jak realized it was a Yellow Eco Beam and ducked. He stumbled backward and grabbed Daxter. He then ran down the hallway, ducking, jumping, and pirouetting from side to side to avoid the beams of energy being hurled at him.

As Jak emerged in the next room, he saw a bigger version of the statues he had encountered before. He used his Blue Eco powers to send a rock at the statue from behind. As the eyes turned around to follow the movement of the rock, Jak sent his own Yellow Eco Beam at the statue. It hit the statue right in the back of the eye and it exploded. It was a much bigger detonation than usual, considering it sent Jak flying off his feet and towards a wall. At the last second, Jak pivoted his body so the wall smashed his face. A sigh of relief from behind made him feel better; Daxter was unharmed. Jak got to his feet and rubbed his nose, wincing as he did so. He took his hand away and saw his fingers were covered in blood. Jak turned his Green Eco Box on and felt his nose heal as the restorative properties of the Green Eco nursed him back to health.

Jak got up and looked around the room. Had he not already traversed half of the temple already, Jak would have thought the room was empty. Because he was now wise to the tricks and riddles of the temple, he examined every detail of the room much more thoroughly than he normally would have. In the middle of the ceiling Jak noticed a peculiar-looking switch. It looked like a diamond shaped piece of glass with a white ball in the middle. Jak shot a thin beam if Yellow Eco at it and an odd, chilling chime reverberated throughout the chamber. A hidden door opened and Jak went through. He saw three doors and an odd looking animal in this room. Jak looked closer at the animal; that was what he had to call it, because it was not elfish, but it also wasn't Lurkerish. If he had to pick, he would have to say it was a wolf, but with definite mistakes. For one, it stood on two legs instead of four. It had a body shaped like an elf's, and its claws glowed bright yellow. Other than those mistakes, it looked like a wolf.

As Jak took a couple of steps into the room, the beast let out a howl and ran at Jak. It crouched down and leapt at him. Jak fell to the ground and caught the animal-like creature in the chest with his feet. He let the momentum carry the beast and it slammed into the wall. Jak turned around, but the monster had vanished. Jak looked around for it, and looked up as he heard a growl come from above him. The wolfish creature had sunk its claws into the wall and was crawling around the ceiling. Jak leapt back as it launched at where he was standing. The wolf quickly recovered and slashed at the air in Jak's direction. Jak's eyes widened in amazement as a thin, curved trail of what he assumed was Yellow Eco trailed behind the claws and came straight at him. Jak dived to the side as he heard a slashing sound behind him. He whirled around and saw claw marks in the stone behind him. The beast charged Jak, who charged up a blast of Yellow Eco in his hands. As the beast closed in, he let off a blast of energy straight at the creature. The wolf made that slashing motion again and once again, three trails of Yellow Eco left its claws. Jak leapt into the air as he saw the three blade-like blasts carve their way through his beam and dispel it. The beast leapt into the air after Jak, who kicked it right in the face. As the monster went flying down to the ground, Jak winced; its claws had sank into his leg, and as it had gone flying, the claws had ripped a chink of his flesh out.

Jak landed and quickly healed himself. The beast took advantage of Jak's preoccupation to send another claw slash at him. It stopped as Daxter sank his teeth into one its ears. The wolf let out a horrible squeal of pain as it struggled to remove Daxter. Daxter dug his fangs deeper, but a bright light distracted him. He looked up to see Jak let loose another Yellow Eco Blast. Daxter leapt up and twirled his body furiously, trying to stay in the air as long as he could. It wasn't long enough, as he fell down towards the beam: and certain death.

Daxter closed his eyes and prepared to be blasted into a million pieces. He opened his eyes when he felt nothing of the sort. He found himself hovering in midair and Jak holding out his hand. His _bluish_ hand. Daxter let out a sigh of relief when he realized Jak had levitated him to safety. Jak brought Daxter back to his shoulder and turned his Blue Eco Box off. He turned around and decided to go through the right door. As he walked through the doorway, he hoped he wouldn't need to fight anymore; he was out of Yellow Eco.

Jak entered the room and saw a greenish blob about his size on the floor. It slithered towards him and Jak leapt back; his experience in this dungeon had taught him that everything wanted to kill him. Jak activated his Red Eco Box and kicked it as hard as he could. His foot sank into the gooey flesh and Jak experienced a sharp burning pain. A yellow light caught Jak's eye; a Yellow Eco Vent had sprung to life; all he needed to do was get to it. Jak tried to take a step, but his left foot was anchored to the ground; immobilized by the odd living goop. He fell off and tried to crawl, thoughts of escaping from this horrible place giving him strength. The burning sensation in his foot spread, and as Jak looked down, he saw the ooze was spreading itself all over his body. As panic fogged his thoughts, Jak took Daxter out of his backpack and threw him as far as he could; while he might be dead, the monster would not get his best friend. He continued crawling frantically as the slime spread, but just as he got to the Vent, it had swallowed him up completely. Jak held his breath as he struggled against the monster holding him. Daxter looked on in horror as his best friend was digested right in front of him. The monster glowed yellow as the Eco washed over it, but far from hurting it, the monster's flesh became hard, encasing Jak forever in an impenetrable cocoon of death.

* * *

"Aah!" Keira moaned as she clutched her head.

"Keira, what is it." Samos asked, alarmed at his daughter's sudden pain.

"It's... its Jak. He's in pain. He's crying out for help."

"How do you know?"

"I can feel him. Inside my head. He's in pain."

"Sit down Keira," Samos said, his voice full of concern. Keira did as he commanded. "Close your eyes." Again, Keira obeyed her father. "Now concentrate. Why is he in pain?"

"He's... he's being attacked. He's losing. No, wait. I feel him again; he's all right. Daddy, whatever is hurting Jak is destroyed."

Samos let out a sigh of relief. "Good. He is too valuable to lose. But what is this odd connection she had with Jak. I could feel his distress as well, but she appeared to have a much more powerful connection with him." He muttered to himself.

* * *

"Nice decorating Jak. I see you missed a spot over there though." Daxter said with a grin as Jak healed himself. Jak rolled his eyes and made a mock apologetic movement with his hands. Daxter laughed. Jak finished healing himself and stepped into the Yellow Eco Vent and recharged his Yellow Eco Box. As it filled up, Jak looked around at the damage he had done to the room. The walls, ceiling, and most of the floor were covered in that strange goop that had made up the monster's body.

Another chilling chime went off and a treasure chest appeared from thin air. Jak went over to it and opened it. His face became transported; inside the chest was another five Power Cells. Jak counted, including the twenty-two from Sandover, the four from Rock Village, the one from the Flyer in the Basin, and the three from Boggy Swamp, he had thirty-five. Jak gave Daxter a high five when he realized that he only needed ten more to power the levitation machine. Jak left the room and went back to the main hall. Deciding to go through the left door, he confidently stepped through, unaware that another had entered the temple.

Jak saw nothing in the next room, no stairs, no doors, and not even an enemy. Disappointed, he turned to go, but a soft stepping sound caused him to pause. He turned around and made a slashing movement with his hands as he turned on his Yellow Eco Box. The empty armor that had been sneaking up on him fell to the ground, its frame sliced to ribbons. A wall fell down to the ground, revealing another wall behind that. That wall fell as well, revealing a third. The second wall sank until it was a few inches above the first wall. The third wall sank down until it was a few inches above the second. This continued for a few seconds until Jak was looking at a newly formed set of stairs. He shifted his backpack and started to climb them. At the top was a platform, followed by a chasm, and all the way on the other side was another treasure chest. Jak targeted the chest with his Hookshot, but realized he didn't have enough chain links to make it all the way across. Jak backed up and took a running start. He jumped as far as he could and once again aimed for the chest, keeping a hand on his Blue Eco Box in case this didn't work. To his relief, the Hookshot pulled him across the chasm with a jerk and he landed on a hovering platform with the treasure chest. Jak opened it and was elated to see it contained more Power Cells, another five.

The platform started to move back towards the entrance of this particular wing of the Temple. Waiting for Jak at the entrance was four more statues. Jak strolled through the door they were guarding after quickly dismantling all of them in a matter of seconds. Entering the main chamber for what he hoped was the last time, Jak entered the center door and took in his surroundings. There was a statue in here that looked like a snake, and a switch on the floor. Jak walked over to the switch, keeping an eye on the statue the whole time, as he seriously doubted it was only a statue. As he stepped on the switch, a door opened, but as Jak got off of the switch, the door closed again. Jak levitated the statue onto the switch and once again the door opened. Jak dived under it as it closed, due to the fact that the statue had come to life and gotten off the switch. Jak rolled onto his feet after getting safely under the door.

Jak stood up, but was almost immediately blasted back onto his feet as another statue shot a blast of Yellow Eco at him. Jak simply ripped its head off with his Blue Eco power and walked up the stairs. At the top was a climbable wall. It was divided into sections that were moving. Jak got his Hookshot out and fired, aiming for the top. He was hoisted up onto the ledge and he pulled himself up. At the top was yet another chest. Jak opened it up and pulled out a long and complicated key. Jak grinned as he realized that he could get into what he suspected was the final chamber of this Legatee-hole. He jumped through the war gate that had appeared as he had opened the chest.

Jak landed in the first room of the Temple for what he sincerely hoped was the final and ultimate time. He stuck the key inside the door and turned; a long clanging sound was heard and the door opened slowly and dramatically. He entered and the door slammed behind him. Jak looked ahead and saw another Precursor Oracle. He walked up to it and like last time, the eyes came to life and a deep voice emanated from it.

"Welcome, brave warrior. You are to be commended for surviving the trials and tests of the Temple. As a reward, I shall give you three things: new powers, the two Power Cells that reside inside me, and one other thing you desire. Step into the light, and receive new knowledge of my Eco, young one." Jak stepped into the circle of yellow light and a beam of Yellow Eco shot out of the Oracle's mouth and hit Jak in the chest. Once again, Jak felt a warm, tingling sensation spread from where the beam made contact with him to the rest of his body. When it was over, the Oracle spoke once again.

"You have been given greater control over Yellow Eco. You can now direct it, manipulate it, and even create objects with it. You will need this power to survive in the future. You wish to know about the future?" Jak nodded eagerly; he wanted to know what the future held.

"I am forbidden by the Precursors to give either of you any crucial information. However, I am permitted to give you this warning; beware the dark light, for it has twisted the fate of one of you." Jak and Daxter looked at each other: while neither of them wanted of them wanted more contact with Dark Eco, they would rather it was he instead of the other.

"You may now remove the Power Cells from me and continue. But beware, my guardian is extremely powerful, and it will take much to overwhelm him." Jak nodded and bowed to the Oracle before taking the two Power Cells out of its eye sockets. As the Oracle powered down, a door behind it opened, and Jak entered it.

Inside this room was a single elf, and that in itself took back by surprise; he had not been expecting an elfish guardian. The elf looked about six feet tall and two feet wide. Very muscular with black hair that stuck out in every direction. He was wearing clothing much like Jak's except a bright orange, and his eyes were black. As Jak looked into them, he relaxed. The look in the man's eyes was warm and caring. Jak wondered why this man was a guardian.

"You must be Jak. Well, since you have entered the Temple and consulted with the Oracle, I suppose I have to fight you now." Jak nodded and turned on his Yellow Eco Box. The warrior across from him looked amazed. "That box on your belt, what is it?" Jak was taken back, this elf seemed to be very polite and curious. He hardly seemed the type to kill. Jak walked up and showed him how the belt worked.

"That's brilliant! But they aren't much use in here." Seeing Jak's puzzled look, he continued. "The air in here is rich with Yellow Eco, didn't you notice? As long as you're in this room, you'll never run out of it." Jak sniffed the air and then took a deep breath and noticed that the warrior was right; he felt his body begin to Channel Yellow Eco. "By the way, my name is Kazan. Well, here we go." Jak nodded and prepared to fight.

Kazan started to yell as his energy aura grew. Eventually, there was a massive explosion of light, and when the light had dimmed, Jak looked at Kazan. He looked the same, except now his eyes were blue and his hair looked just like Jak's: sticking straight up and a bright yellow, although it did not have green roots. Kazan grinned at Jak's amazed look and assumed a combat stance. Jak nodded and did the same.

They both acted simultaneously, running one way and firing Yellow Eco Blasts at the same time. The blasts hit each other and cancelled out. Jak ran at Kazan, who leapt into the air. Jak looked up in time to see Kazan throw a disk of energy. Jak reacted instinctively and raised his forearm armor. To his amazement, the Yellow Eco rebounded off the new coating and went right back at Kazan, who ducked to avoid it. He landed and began a melee with Jak, who eagerly returned the challenge. As Jak fought, he noticed how Kazan wasn't even trying, almost as if it was a game to him. He paid for his distraction by receiving a swift kick in the ribs. Jak went flying back into the wall and stood back up. He gathered Yellow Eco at his fingertips and sent ten thin beams of power at Kazan, who pivoted and danced ridiculously on the spot to avoid them. Jak and Kazan both charged up a massive blast of Yellow Eco and fired. The beams collided, but instead of canceling each other out, they began vying with each other for domination. As Kazan's beam gained the upper hand, Jak leapt up and out of the way so he wouldn't be vaporized. He looked down and he saw that Kazan had vanished. Jak looked around and saw Kazan above him. Kazan charged up a ball of Yellow Eco and hurled it at Jak. Jak put his arms in front of him like an "X" and reflected the ball back at Kazan. Kazan yelled in pain as he felt his own attack engulf his body, burning his flesh and mangling his figure. He fell out of the air and hit the ground with a loud "thunk".

Jak walked over to see if Kazan was dead or not and to his amazement, he saw Kazan stand up, grinning no less. "Wow. No one's ever gotten me with my own technique. You got some skill there kid." Jak grinned, but his face became worried when Kazan made two fists and put them together. He spread them apart, leaving a trail of Yellow Eco behind. What worried Jak was how the Eco seemed to become almost solid, forming a sword. Jak shook his head, figuring if Kazan could make a sword out of Yellow Eco, so could he.

Jak created his sword and began the fight. He brought his sword up in a horizontal slash, but a vertical block stopped it. Jak decided to go with the momentum and spun around, but Kazan once again blocked his sword. He brought his sword down and to the left, but again he was deflected. Kazan pushed Jak's sword back and copied his last attack; he came down and to the left. Jak blocked and spun his sword around and came up and to the right, trying to slice of Kazan's legs. Kazan blocked the attack and brought his sword up behind his head before slamming it down. Jak blocked it and they began pushing against each other, each trying to throw the other off balance. Kazan pushed his blade up, leaving Jak temporarily defenseless, and then delivered a hard kick to Jak's chest.

Jak went flying back, but landed on his feet, using his sensational agility and flexibility to regain his footing. Jak slowly walked towards Kazan and swung his sword in a vertical path going down. Kazan blocked this blow, but was caught by surprise when Jak swung his sword in the opposite direction and came from below. The tip of Jak's blade touched his skin, cutting but cauterizing the wound at the same time.

Kazan ignored the pain and brought his sword crashing down on Jak's head. Or he would have, had Jak not once again blocked the attack. Kazan then turned his blade and came at Jak from below, only to be foiled and blocked again. Again and again they went back and forth. Any spectator would have been unable to discern one blade from the other, as they were both moving so fast that the blades seemed to leave blurs in the air. Once again Jak came up from the ground and was blocked; both of them holding their blades firmly in place as they circled each other. Jak broke his off and did a triple strike, coming first across from the left, then across from the right, then straight down. Kazan blocked all three blows with relative ease and then resumed taking the offensive. He swung his blade across, making Jak lean back. Kazan was quick to press weight on the blade in an attempt to overbear Jak. Jak leaned so that his head was nearly to the ground and kicked Kazan in the chin.

Kazan went soaring backwards in a graceful arc and landed on his hands. He quickly got up and stopped Jak's next attack- a downward stroke to the left. Jak back-flipped away and landed on his feet, bent down with one hand on the ground and the other in front of his face. He rose and charged Kazan, swinging his sword in a straight thrust. Kazan quickly parried it and the two of them once again danced around each other, attacking and blocking, pivoting and parrying in an attempt to win.

Jak swung his sword to the left and then seemed to disappear. Kazan heard air being cut through behind him and quickly turned around to stop the sword that was coming for him. After his block, he moved his rapier down and then back up to put Jak off balance. Jak recovered instantaneously and brought his sword above his head and slammed it down, then brought it back and repeated the motion. Kazan continued blocking and eventually had to take a step back. This one movement would prove to be his downfall, as Jak was quick to strike again and again, almost to quickly to see. Kazan tried one last attack: a downward chop with all of his considerable strength behind it. Jak blocked and put both hands on opposite sides of his sword. He pushed back as hard as he could and forced Kazan to fall over. Kazan continued trying to defend himself as Jak's sword crashed against his continuously, but eventually Jak prevailed. Bringing his sword across rather than down, Jak made Kazan's sword arm swing wildly out and then he brought his sword down for one final attack.

Kazan cried out in pain as he felt Jak slice through his flesh, cutting his left forearm clean off. He held his hand up and gasped out, "Enough. You win mate." Jak nodded and stopped his attack. Kazan stood up and picked up his arm off the ground. With a flash of light, he reattached it back onto his body. Jak looked on in amazement; he didn't suspect Kazan would be able to refasten his body back together.

"Whew. Good fight there, Jak. Good fight. I ain't fool enough to continue, even though I'd win eventually from more endurance. It was a good fight, and I hope one day, we'll meet again." Jak grinned and nodded, happy that he wouldn't have to kill a fellow elf. Still breathing heavy, Kazan walked over to a wall and put his hands on it. The wall melted away like so many others had, and revealed another warp gate and three more Power Cells. Jak collected them before turning around and saluting Kazan, who let out a hearty laugh and saluted back. Jak jumped through the warp gate, eager to continue his journey. Jak grinned as he imagined the look on Keira's face when she learned that he could form a solid shape with Yellow Eco.

* * *

Well, I hope it was good enough after taking me so long to write it. As always, review please, I am in desperate need of those. Also, if anyone could give me any ideas, particularly for new types of Lurkers, that would be greatly appreciated. 


	13. Battling Klaww

Red Mage 04- Sorry about the spelling errors, but as odd is a legitimate word, my spell check didn't detect it. I'm glad you like it and hopefully I will be able to update a bit faster, since my Muse has suddenly returned. I couldn't resist putting the box part in, sure it's a cliché, but it's also a classic.

animedragongirl- I'm happy to see that you found my story worth reading, but I suppose the bad plot and the, as you said, "many errors," insulted you so much that you won't read anymore. I'm sorry if my horrible English skills (or lack thereof) had prevented you from continuing reading my story.

Disclaimer: I no own. You no steal. I no sue.

Battling Klaww

Jak popped out of the Warp Gate and saw he was back in Zeorro's hut. He heard a high-pitched scream, which didn't surprise him in the least after hanging around Daxter for seven years. What did make him turn around was the sound of something smashing on the ground behind him. He turned on his Yellow Eco Box and adopted a fighting stance. He charged up a blast of Yellow Eco, only to retract it instantly. Keira was standing in the doorway holding a china plate, hence the crash, with a sandwich on the floor.

"Jak! You're okay!" Keira squealed as she hurtled herself across the room and pulled Jak into a bear hug. Jak winced slightly as she tightened her grip across his chest; strong though he was, Keira was crushing his body, which had been through quite a lot that day. He pushed against her body slightly and she immediately and she immediately backed off, apologizing for hurting him. Jak was quick to pull her back into a gentler embrace, taking deep sniffs of her hair that was right in front of his mouth. Keira sighed into his chest: she had been very worried about him. She snaked her arms around his back once more and ran her fingers up and down his shirt, or rather, the remains of it.

"I wonder what he went through in that Temple, his shirt barely qualifies as a rag now," she thought as she ran her fingers up and down the smooth skin. Keira shivered slightly as Jak did the same to her, feeling her muscles tense and relax under his fingers' touch.

A throat cleared nearby and Jak and Keira immediately separated and looked over at the doorway to see what, or who, had made the noise that had broken them apart. Samos was standing in the doorway, red-faced for the first time in Jak's memory, and staring at anything except the two teenagers that he had interrupted. As the three of them looked at random items around the room, an embarrassing and uncomfortable silence erupted into the room. As usual, it was broken by none other than Daxter.

"So baby, where's my hello?" Daxter inquired, his cocky smile confidently etched into his face. Keira rolled her eyes at him, but turned red at the sight of Jak, who was staring hard at her face. She nervously bit her lip and quickly strolled into the kitchen, muttering something about getting something else to eat.

"Well Jak, it appears you survived the Eco Temple. I guess a ruined shirt is a reasonable price to pay in exchange for finding new powers. What did you learn this time?" Jak grinned and turned on his Yellow Eco Box. He gathered a ball of Yellow Eco and closed his fist over it. It shot upward from his hand, stopping after about two and a half feet. He moved his hand and his sword swung through the air. Samos stared in amazement at Jak's newfound abilities.

"By the Precursors... you can form an Eco Blade?" Jak shrugged and nodded. "Jak, you are rapidly becoming a very powerful Channeler. When we get to Volcanic Crater, where Santar, the Sage of Red Eco, resides, we should ask him to show you how to make better use of Red Eco." Jak shrugged and started to walk into the kitchen.

"Oh, by the way Jak, Keira and I were thinking that the two of us could try to tackle that monster in the Mountain Pass tomorrow. Is that okay?" Jak nodded and sighed. "But for now, you can rest up. I don't want you to get hurt tomorrow because you overexerted yourself today." Jak's face broke out into a relieved smile as he wandered into the kitchen and sat down. Keira was eating a sandwich across the table from him and she smiled at him as he sat. Jak leaned back and saw a number of raw chunks of Yakow suspended from the ceiling. He grabbed one and pulled it off the chain. He Channeled Yellow Eco through it until it was sizzling and crispy before devouring it within ten seconds. He looked over at Keira before dropping his eyes and imagining how good it would feel to be able to hold her again. A loud growling sound rang through the kitchen suddenly.

"How can you hungry after eating a whole Yakow leg?" Jak shrugged to show it wasn't his stomach. The growling sound went out again and they both looked down at Daxter, where the sound was loudest.

"What? I'm hungry." Daxter exclaimed as he walked out of the door with his nose in the air. Jak and Keira exchanged looks of bewilderment and then Jak shrugged and then stretched, yawning as he did the latter.

"You should go to bed Jak. The last thing we need is our 'big hero'," at this point Keira leaned in and batted her eyelashes at Jak, "to get tired." Jak grinned and walked out of the kitchen, pausing as he did so to remove the tatters and slivers of what, earlier that day, had been his favorite shirt and throw them in the garbage. Keira, whose gaze had up until this point been centered on the physique and muscles of Jak's back, looked at the table as she blushed. Samos walked in and pointed his staff at his daughter.

"You should go to bed as well Keira. It's late and we all have a busy day tomorrow."

"Okay dad. G'night."

"Goodnight Keira."

Jak climbed into his bed, not bothering to remove his armor or the ring around his chest. He closed his eyes and fell asleep, a familiar turn of events playing in his mind as he did so...

Jak was sitting on an odd machine, Keira was sitting down next to him, and Samos was examining a hole in the ground.

"Take care kid." This voice came from a very tall man with long yellow hair and blue eyes. He also had a green goatee. He was very strong, and for some reason felt familiar in some way. Then, the man slowly became older. His hair got even longer and turned white. His skin turned gray and his teeth became fangs. Jak retched back in horror; his hero had become the man he had seen on Misty Island.

The man let out a burst of insane laughter. "You think you have the power to defeat me? Just because you have a better knowledge of Eco? Fool." The man stretched his hand out and pointed behind Jak. Jak turned around and saw Keira, Samos and Daxter (in elvin form) all chained to a wall. "Now witness the glorious beauty of darkness." The old man proclaimed as a stream of what appeared to be Dark Eco flowed from his hands and coursed through them all. Jak watched in horror as his friends writhed in pain as they slowly transformed into pale face demons with fangs, claws and horns.

"They... they've turned into his servants." Jak thought as despair began to cloud his mind. Jak ran over to Daxter, who threw him into a wall and then went to bow down to the man. Jak went to Samos, who was also bowing down. Turning around, Jak saw Keira in her demon form, staring at him. Jak grabbed Keira and shook her shoulders as he stared deep into her black eyes, desperately looking for a trace of the girl he liked. The demon smiled at him as she put a hand on his chest, and Jak sighed in relief. His sigh quickly turned into a gasp as pain erupted in his chest. As he looked down, he saw the arm of what had been Keira sticking through his chest. Jak looked up to see hatred and revulsion etched into Keira's face as she twisted her hand, ripping his innards out. Jak fell to the ground, hugging his body as he stared up at his friend. Keira looked down on him, pure pleasure from his pain written all over her face. She licked her claws from his blood and then strolled over to the monster that had mutated her. She threw one last look of vindictive pleasure at Jak before bowing and proclaiming her allegiance to the man that had destroyed her soul.

The old man laughed psychotically. "This is your future. This is what your destiny is, what your friends are doomed to become." Jak struggled to get up, but the blood loss made him close his eyes. His last thought before he died was one of regret; he had failed to protect Keira.

Jak sat up, covered in sweat. He looked around his room in fear, wondering why he had the dream again.

"Hey buddy, breakfast is now. If you wanna have bacon and eggs, you better get you're ass out of bed," Daxter called from the next room. Jak nodded out of habit, his mind was still seeing Keira's hand plunging through his chest and shredding his internal organs. He tore his mind away from this horrible image as the scent of fried bacon and eggs wafted across the room and invaded his nose. He stood up and stretched, wincing slightly as he did so. The previous day had taken its toll on his body, and all of the bruises he had recieved the day before had finally caught up to him.

"Morning Jak," Keira said brightly as Jak entered the kitchen. Jak smiled and nodded his own greeting.

After breakfast, Daxter was placed, asleep, gently on the couch by Jak. He had once again invited Samos' wrath by suggesting that Samos be the one to destroy the monster up on Mountain Pass by saying that Samos' "face alone should be enough to make the thing scream in terror and go back to its mommy." This comment brought tears to both Jak and Daxter. While Jak had recieved them from laughing, Daxter's tears originated from the crack in his skull he had gotten from Samos' wooden staff.

"Well, I'm going into town for a while so I can find out anything about Zeorro's disappearance and the monster on Mountain Pass. I'll also try to pick you up a shirt Jak, seeing as how yours is ruined." Jak and Keira nodded as Samos left them alone in the house.

"Oh dad. Could you meet us back here at three 'o clock. That way we'll be able to make it to Volcanic Crater before nightfall, hopefully." Samos nodded as he walked out of the house and made for the village.

After finishing the last scarps of food from breakfast, Keira said she had to go work on something, so Jak wandered around the house for a bit. He finally went outside and decided to train using his new "Eco Blade," as Samos called it. He formed his sword and began a series of moves the Warrior had taught him two years ago after the attack on Sandover.

Keira sighed, after two hours of work, she had finally managed to complete the blueprints of her latest invention. After rolling the blueprints up and putting them under her pillow, she meandered around the house looking for Jak. Unable to find him, she decided to go outside to see if he was enjoying the fresh air. She walked into the Blue Sage's backyard to find him training with what seemed to be a sword made out of Yellow Eco. His back was to her, and she watched how his back muscles flexed and tightened as he moved gracefully across the field. She gazed in awe at how he made the sword slice and cut through the air in offensive techniques, and then shift gracefully into defensive blocks and parries. Not only was he moving his arms as if they were made out of liquid, but he was also jumping and pirouetting his body almost as if he were dodging imaginary weapons.

Keira let out an audible gasp as Jak narrowly avoided slicing his left leg off and immediately Jak spun around as he summoned another sword. He withdrew both of his blades when he saw it was the object that was the light of his life.

"When... when did you learn how to do that?" Jak pointed to the Yellow Eco Temple off in the distance. "Did you learn anything else there?" Jak shook his head. Keira once again could not help but stare, very openly for that matter, at Jak's finely toned body. She wondered how he was so strong when his body was so small, lean, and wiry.

Jak started to feel uncomfortable under Keira's unrelenting stare and he cleared his throat. Instantly, Keira's eyes slid back into focus and she smiled once again at Jak. Jak walked up to Keira, who was currently wondering what it would feel like to be in Jak's arms when he wasn't wearing a shirt. His hand closed over hers and he pulled her slightly. Keira went along with him, knowing Jak would never allow any harm to come to her.

Jak lead her inside the house and brought Keira to the room where she had been sleeping. He opened her closet and pulled out a bright red one-piece. "Are we going swimming?" Jak smiled warmly and nodded at her question. Jak left as she got undressed and changed into his own black bathing suit. He grabbed a couple of towels and walked outside, waiting for Keira.

As she came out of her room and went outside, Keira noticed that it was only eleven 'o clock, meaning she and Jak had four hours before they had to try to tackle that horrible monster. Jak was smiling as she emerged from the house, and she saw his eyes flitter down and look at her body before settling back on her face. He handed her a blindfold and she looked at him curiously as she took it. A grin satisfied her and she put it on without question. Jak picked her up, with her against his back, and took off, his arms wrapped around her legs so she wouldn't lose her balance and fall off. After a few minutes, Keira asked Jak where they were going. He shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, and she pouted. Ten minutes passed in complete silence before anything happened. Keira was suddenly snapped away from thinking how nice Jak's back felt pushed up against her chest when she felt Jak's body shift as he began walking downhill. He finally set her down and took off the blindfold.

"Oh Jak...," Keira breathed as she looked at the spectacle before her. Jak had brought her to a small lake, complete with a miniature garden. She looked around at the small birds flying around and wished she could somehow capture this moment on a piece of paper. She walked over to the lake and slipped a foot in. To her delight, it was pleasantly cool, not cold, and felt refreshing. Abandoning all pretenses, Keira suddenly whipped around and grabbed Jak. She fell backwards into the lake, dragging him with her. They resurfaced, Keira laughing at Jak spitting out water and struggling to get his balance on the soft ground below. As he stood up and glared at her in a playful way, he suddenly lost his balance and fell face forward into the water. Keira clutched her sides as the hero of Sandover rapidly rose, trying to act as if nothing had happened. He grinned mischievously at the sight of Keira laughing and slipped underneath the water.

Keira wiped the tears of laughter from her face and looked around. Everywhere, the surface of the lake was smooth, but Jak was not in the water, nor was he on land. Suddenly, Keira felt herself get dragged under water. When she came back up she saw Jak in front of her grinning a grin the Grinch would have been green-eyed of. She jumped up and put her hands on his shoulders, forcing his head under the water as she effectively dunked him. Keira laughed in triumph, only to scream as Jak wrapped his arms around her hips and threw her into the air.

They wrestled for a few more minutes, each dunking the other numerous times, before Keira threw up her hands and choked out, "enough, enough. You win, Jak." Jak stuck out his tongue and did as little victory jig, which sent Keira into fresh peals of laughter.

Two hours later, Jak and Keira crawled out of the lake, thoroughly exhausted, and onto the grass. They lay down next to each other and smiled, weariness apparent in their eyes. Keira wiggled closer to Jak and leaned against him. They closed their eyes and let out a sigh of content as sleep invaded their minds.

Jak opened his eyes an hour later as something small and furry crawled across his face. He looked down to his chest to see Daxter, smiling like a maniac and shaking his head.

"Samos wants you guys back at the house; he says it's high time we kick some Lurker ass."

"Oh geez, we must have fallen asleep!" Keira exclaimed as she leapt up. Jak joined after her, picking Daxter up and setting him on his shoulder as he ran to catch up with Keira.

"Where were you two? I've been waiting for half an hour." Samos asked as Jak, Keira, and Daxter entered Zeorro's hut.

"Oh , Jak took me to a really cool lake."

"That sounds nice, but now we have to go and stop that Lurker from destroying Rock Village." Jak and Keira nodded in agreement and quickly changed. They went back to the docks and this time crossed the pontoons the Warrior had put back. Keira immediately inspected the part of the machine where the Power Cells were supposed to go. Jak handed her all forty-five Power Cells and she placed them inside the machine.

"The cells for the machine outta provide enough power to lift that boulder!" Keira said as she focused the levitation beam at the boulder. With a loud humming sound, the boulder was lifted off the ground, unsealing the path to Mountain Pass.

"There we go! Now, be careful facing that monster Lurker at the top!" Keira said as Jak and Samos prepared to climb the mountain. Suddenly, a scream made everyone turn around. Lurkers had crawled out of the water and were swarming all over the village. Jak and Samos exchanged looks of horror as dozens of Scouts, Generals and Worms terrorized the town.

"Jak, you deal with the Lurker at the top, I'll go and help the village." Jak nodded and started to climb the mountain, looking back at Keira. "Keira, you stay here, I will not let you become involved this time. The Lurkers haven't noticed us and I think it would be better if it stayed that way." Keira frowned but nodded, not wanting to waste any time. Jak picked Daxter up off the machine and prepared once again to climb the mountain.

"Wait!" Daxter said suddenly. "Uh, I'll stay here and protect Keira. Jak, I think you're ready to handle that monster without me."

"Oh, really heroic," said Keira as she rolled her eyes. Daxter saw the puddle of sarcasm ooze out of Keira's mouth and onto the floor and sighed. He scampered up onto Jak's shoulder, who began climbing the mountain leading to the monster at last.

Twenty minutes later, Jak and Daxter reached the summit of the mountain overlooking Rock Village. The two of them turned around to survey the town. To the delight of both of them, albeit there were a lot of Lurkers everywhere, there were also numerous bright green explosions. This confirmed in their eyes that Samos was alive and fighting. Jak turned around and walked across the summit of the mountain, heading towards the dip that resided behind it. As Jak reached the end, he noticed how the temperature seemed to rise and how the walls seemed to glow red. Jak turned a final corner and came face to face with the monster that had been terrorizing the inhabitants of Rock Village.

It was beyond disgusting in Jak's opinion; fifty feet tall, its skin a dark purplish blue, with red eyes and dripping fangs easily three feet long. Its left arm was the thickness of a house, with three fingers the size and length of Jak's body. Its right arm looked as if it was torn off of a Precursor robot, and it seemed to be a perfect fit. This did nothing to lighten Jak's mood; on the contrary, it made him feel even more apprehensive about facing this thing. It had a twenty-foot wide chest, legs were submerged in lava, and a head that resembled more a boulder covered in black hair than anything else. Two gigantic horns stuck out of the head; each easily being seven feet long.

As Jak moved forward hesitantly, it caught sight of what it considered to be a small, puny, and insignificant elf with an orange rat that was having trouble keeping control of certain bodily functions sitting on its shoulder. It let out a deafening roar and bellowed, "Klaww smash!" It reached down and sunk the fingers of its real hand into a boulder and dug its fingers into it. It threw it at Jak, who quickly used Blue Eco to run as fast as he could to his left. He leapt into the air as a shockwave from the impact of the boulder forced the ground to rise up. As Jak leapt, Klaww made a grabbing motion in the air, clearly intending to crush Jak's body. Jak flew upwards and landed on Klaww's arm, turning his Red Eco Box on as he did so. He Channeled every bit of Red Eco into his right fist and punched the gigantic Lurker square in the nose. Unfortunately, this attack did little more than to piss Klaww off.

* * *

Samos charged into the village, eyes blazing from a mixture of anger and power. As he drew near a family surrounded by Lurker Wolves, he charged up a ball of Green Eco and threw it at the Wolves. One by one they exploded, until the sky was filled with falling body parts.

"Let's go. Now is not the time to cower and hide. Now is the time to fight back and reclaim your village as your own." Samos said, pulling the father up roughly.

"But, Liz... my kids..." the man protested.

"I will personally see to it that no harm comes to them. Take this staff and go out and fight for your village. I want you to bring any elderly, young, and female elves here for protection, but any fit men will stay and fight." The man stood still, staring at Samos' staff. Samos' eyes narrowed and his tone became significantly harsher. "That's an order soldier," he barked, his voice no longer that of a wise sage, but of a general that demanded respect.

"Yes sir!" The man responded, his body changing. His eyes became confident, his body calm, and the staff came to rest on his shoulder. He ran off and Samos watched him thoughtfully before turning around to face the three other elves.

"I want you all to close your eyes and join hands," he said as he sat down. Samos closed his eyes as he moved his fingers into complicated patterns. After thirty seconds of this, he placed his hand on the mother's head and stepped back. A shield composed of Green Eco now protected the three elves.

"This shield is telepathically linked to your thoughts. An outsider may penetrate the shield only if you will it. Please do not allow emotions or grudges to cloud your judgment: any who are left outside the shield will perish." Samos explained before turning around to try to find more villagers.

* * *

Klaww roared, "Crush elf!" and curled his robotic arm into a fist. He threw a punch at Jak, not quite realizing that if he missed he would wind up hitting himself right in the face Jak turned around in time to see the fist coming at him and quickly jumped up and aimed back towards the ground. Klaww let out a bellow that contained both rage and pain as he rubbed his nose with his real hand while aiming his prosthetic Precursor one at Jak. He curled the fingers into as fist and bent his wrist down. A slot opened up in the forearm and a cylinder shaped object rose up. Klaww let out another howl as he aimed the curious object at Jak and tightened his fist. Immediately, a gigantic beam of Yellow Eco issued forth; its target a certain Channeler.

Jak leaped into the air and flew over Klaww, narrowing avoiding being grabbed again. As he landed, Klaww fired another beam, but this time aimed high above Jak. Jak looked up as a beam of Yellow Eco collided with the mountain, sending a shower of boulders raining down upon Jak. Jak quickly turned his Blue Eco Box on and levitated all of the stones and hurled them back at Klaww. They never reached their target, due to the fact that the humongous Lurker melted each and every one of them by breathing fire.

* * *

As Samos ran past the docks, he spotted a person who could turn the tide. A powerfully built elf covered in armor, with a sword and shield to boot. Samos cringed inwardly as he noticed that the warrior was in fact sitting in a fetal position, sucking his thumb.

"Get up! You're village needs you," Samos barked. The warrior did nothing except to curl up into a tighter ball. Samos sighed and shook his head before looking around; even though the villagers had more will and fighting abilities, the sheer number of Lurkers were beginning to overwhelm them.

"Sir!" the first man Samos had recruited said as he drew near.

"What is it soldier?"

"We're... we're being pushed back sir. I don't know how much longer we'll be able to last." Samos heaved a deep sigh as he leaned heavily on his staff.

"Where are you Jak? We need you here." Samos muttered as he went to tend to the injured.

* * *

"Damn it. How in the name of Legatee am I supposed to kill this thing?" Jak thought as he dodged yet another Yellow Eco beam. As Klaww lowered his robotic arm, Jak landed on it and summoned two Eco Blades. He leapt on top of Klaww's face and stabbed him in the eyes. The Eco sunk right through his flesh and black blood spurted from the wounds. Jak back-flipped, only to be caught and stuffed roughly into Klaww's mouth and swallowed whole.

* * *

Samos and the villagers prepared for the end as five Lurker Berserkers charged, sending all hopes of victory out the proverbial window. Samos sat down, trying to regain some energy; healing everyone repeatedly had sapped him of his Eco powers. The Berserkers roared in triumph as they got closer and closer. Samos sighed: it was no use; he couldn't summon any energy. What tore at his heart particularly was the thought that if he died, the shield he had erected would dissolve, leaving those inside exposed and defenseless.

* * *

"Jak!" Daxter screamed as he saw his best friend be swallowed whole by the monstrosity in front of him while he sat safely on the ground. Klaww heard him and turned around, looking around for the source of the sound. He spotted Daxter and greedily reached for it. Daxter stood still as a stone, paralyzed with fear as Klaww's massive hand got closer and closer. When he was less than a foot away, Klaww suddenly retracted his hand and put it to his heart. Daxter looked closer at Klaww's chest as he screamed in pain and tore at his chest, apparently trying to get at something that was beneath the skin. Daxter narrowed his eyes as he saw a thin yellow pin stick poke out of Klaww's chest. It moved in a circle until a large chunk of flesh popped out of the monster's body. To Daxter's relief, Jak leapt out of the circle just as a massive squelchy-looking object hit the lava and began to disintegrate. Klaww screamed and clutched his chest as he fell into the lava and sank down.

* * *

As the Berserkers charged, Samos closed his eyes and braced for the end. Suddenly, a boulder that must've been thirty tons rolled along the street, crushing not only the Berserkers but half of the others as well. Samos looked where it came from and saw Keira leaning against a hut with a cocky grin on her face to rival Daxter's.

"Thought you guys might need some help," she said as she pulled out her bow and arrows. Samos beamed and roared for the villagers to attack, a command that was happily obeyed. With the majority of the army gone, the remaining Lurkers were killed within a matter of minutes. As the last Lurker fell, most of the men went their wives and children, while the rest started a huge fire and started roasting meat.

* * *

Jak fell to the ground, catching his arm on the side of the mountain. He dug his fingers into the stone and pulled himself up. Daxter gasped as he saw just how much of a beating Jak had taken while inside Klaww's innards. Jak collapsed and started to pass out from blood loss as blood flowed freely down his arms and legs, out of his chest, and from over his eyes. Daxter quickly ran to Jak's waist and turned on the Green Eco Box, sighing with relief as he watched Jak's body heal itself. As Jak healed, his eyesight went back into focus and he started feeling hungry.

Very hungry.

Jak stood up and bent down so Daxter could get onto his shoulder. Jak crouched down, and then leapt into the air, flying back towards the village. As the wind whipped through the air, Jak yearned to let out a whoop of glee; he had defeated the monster, he was flying, and from the looks of Rock Village, not only had everyone survived the attack, but they had also lit a fire and started a party. Jak saw two people, one tall and one short, on the outskirts of the party. Even though he could not make out any identifying features, he could tell it was Keira and Samos. The two of them waved as Jak approached and he waved back.

"Good job Jak, you destroyed the monster. I'm going back to the house to rest; it was hard for this old man to defeat three hundred and forty seven Lurkers single handedly. The villagers helped of course, except for that cowardly warrior. He started crying as the Lurkers swarmed on him." Jak nodded and nudged Daxter with his foot, telling him to go back with Samos.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll see you tomorrow Jak." Daxter said with a huge yawn.

"C'mon Jak, let's go party 'till we cant tell the difference between a Croca-dog and a Yakow." Jak grinned at Daxter as Keira dragged him off towards fire and food. Jak quickly sat down and pulled every dish within reach towards himself hungrily. He began devouring the food, savoring the rich taste of the meat while paying attention to the celebration. Keira sat across from him and giggled as she saw him continue eating with food and grease all over his face. "This is the mighty hero? If you looked at him you would just think he was a normal kid." Keira thought. Suddenly music erupted by the fire and Keira's eyes lit up.

"C'mon Jak, lets go dance," Keira said as she grabbed Jak. Jak frantically shook his head, but Keira dragged him out to the dance floor anyway. After a few seconds of dancing, Keira opened her eyes and saw Jak standing still, his face red. "What is it Jak? Don't you know how to dance?" Jak shook his head and stared at the ground. Keira burst out giggling and she grabbed Jak's hands. She held them in her hands and she danced, indicating for Jak to mirror her movements. Jak, slowly and hesitantly at first, began moving his feet back and forth, shaking his hips, and letting his arms flow. Keira grinned as Jak became more confident, and together the two of them quickly became the stars of the party, or at least the most noticed, due to the fact that Jak eventually tripped over his own feet and stumbled backwards, falling right into a giant bowl of fruit punch. Keira walked over to him and took the bowl off his head, trying very hard not to laugh.

"Let's go home Jak. We gotta get up bright and early tomorrow so we can make out way to Volcanic Crater." Jak nodded, his face red. Some of the color had come from the punch, while the majority of it was from the blood that filled Jak's cheeks. They made their way to Zeorro's hut, both thinking wistfully of the beds that awaited them there.

Bright and early, everyone woke up and Jak fried some leftover Yakow from the party the night before. Afterwards, Jak put Keira and Daxter on his back after teleporting the Zoomer to the beginning of Mountain Pass. Jak climbed on and Keira followed, swathing her arms around Jak's chest. Jak revved the Zoomer and took off, the wind in his face awaking him fully and putting everyone's senses on high alert. As he left the lava behind, the ground became softer and grass started to grow. As Jak neared the beginning of Mountain Pass, he spotted three Lurker Flyers, Flyers that took off at the sight of Jak.

"Oh no," Keira exclaimed. "It looks like the Lurkers have rigged the path with explosives. We have to reach Volcanic Crater before them and kill the Lurker with the detonator, or else they'll blow up the whole passage." Jak nodded and gunned the motor, causing the three of them to accelerate after the Lurker Flyers. Unfortunately, Jak had slowed down significantly when he had spotted them, since he wanted to avoid a fight, giving them quite a head start.

Jak sped over the grass of the Mountain Pass, making a sharp right at the end of the straightaway. As he turned, Jak leaned back against Keira as he went up a hill, causing the Zoomer to effectively jump at the end. Jak looked down and saw a gigantic explosive, it was as tall as Jak, and about two feet in diameter. The three of them shared a collective gulp at the thought of what would happen if they failed and the Lurkers set off the bombs. Jak leaned to the right to avoid a tree branch, causing the Zoomer to rotate to the right while moving in the same direction. As they completed the complete turn, Jak drove through a Blue Eco Vent, causing the motor to run faster, while at the same time cooling everything down so nothing overheated. Jak immediately veered to the right to avoid another bomb. He turned around to look at it, but Daxter's scream made him turn around and steer left instantly; he had been heading right for a stack of Dark Eco Crates. Jak entered another straight part of Mountain Pass and saw a hill coming up. At the top of the hill, Jak saw one of the Lurker Flyers detach itself from the other two and fly onto a section of the path that was much higher than the rest. Jak thumbed the switch for the vertical thrusters and took off, landing on the segment with ease. Jak turned the throttle all the way to the max and he started coming up on the Flyer. Jak grabbed Keira's hands and put them on the steering wheel and leaned out of the way so she could see. Jak struggled to keep his balance as he lined up a shot and fired a beam of Yellow Eco right through the torso of the Flyer. He leaned back onto the seat and Keira sighed with relief: piloting the Zoomer at sich a high velocity made her more than a little uneasy.

Jak took control of the Zoomer and came out of the hidden passageway, narrowly avoiding hitting another bomb as he did so. He piloted the Zoomer through the Mountain Pass with expertise, steering left and a sharp right accordingly. After jumping another small hill, Jak landed and immediately veered to the left to avoid being blown up, causing the Zoomer to rotate counter-clockwise. As it spun, Jak steered to the right and then to the left to avoid two more bombs. Jak looked ahead and saw a large hill approaching. He gunned the accelerator and finished the assent at high speed, causing him to fly over a fifty-foot chasm. Jak looked on his radar as it started beeping and saw that there was a Power Cell on the ground in a hidden passage blocked by a boulder. Jak found the boulder, and two Eco blasts, one from his hand and one from the Zoomer, were enough to reduce it to dust. Jak held Daxter by the tail, and a slight tug on his arm told him Daxter had done his job well and had snatched the Power Cell. Jak saw the second Lurker Flyer and deduced happily that he was catching up to them. Jak handed Keira his Hookshot and pointed to the Lurker. Keira nodded and tried to hold it steady as Jak fell behind the Lurker, keeping up with its pace rather than speeding up. Keira fired the Hookshot and the metal arrowhead sunk into the flesh of the Lurker, ripping a good sized hole in it and insuring it would never fly again (or do anything else, for that matter). Jak steered through the trees, never daring to slow down for fear of not being able to catch up with the remaining Lurker. Eventually, Jak saw the beginning of some caves that said they were getting closer to Volcanic Crater. Jak willed the Zoomer to go even faster now that both he and the Lurker were on the final stretch, with Jak at a serious disadvantage.

Jak steered the Zoomer around a gigantic hole in which he could see many types of crystals. For a second he considered snatching one for Keira, but he quickly stamped on that: how was he supposed to get a jewel while piloting the Zoomer? The whole cave narrowed as a blue light at the end got brighter. At the end, when it was only big enough for the Zoomer itself, Jak put the Zoomer through three Blue Eco Vents in a row. He almost lost grip on the handlebars as the Zoomer's speedometer broke, signaling that they were going well over a hundred miles an hour. Jak saw a brighter, redder light and immediately put the brakes on, catching sight of the final Lurker as he did so. As the Zoomer slowed down and honed in on the final Flyer, Jak ripped it apart by making the same slashing motion the wolf-like creature had made in the Yellow Eco Temple. Jak jumped off the Zoomer and drop-kicked the startled Lurker General that had been guarding the switch.

He turned around and saw the Zoomer stop right in front of him. He almost laughed himself silly at the sight of Daxter; his fur sticking straight up and shaking. He ignored the following rant from the Ottsel about careful driving and whatnot, choosing instead to extend his hand to Keira, who graciously accepted it. As Jak picked Daxter up, he noticed immediately that Volcanic Crater was a lot hotter than any town he had yet encountered. As he walked into it, he understood why: it was built around an active volcano, hence the name and the immense heat. Jak instantly spotted Santar's hut. It was pretty easy to distinguish it from everything else, seeing as how the nutcase of a sage had decided to build on a rock sticking out of the lava in the center of town. He walked in, and noticed the place was even messier than Zeorro's: the books he kept were strewn everywhere, a window was broken, burn marks littered the floor, and there seemed to be fingernail imprints in the floor leading to the Warp Gate. Jak found the switch and turned it on, causing that weird gas that seemed to be a mixture of Dark Eco and something brighter to fill the circle.

* * *

Sorry this is late; I would have had it up Friday night but my Internet connection got knocked out and it didn't come back on for a while. I might be able to go back to updating every Sunday, since I work on this during study hall, school starts this week. Anyway, if you guys, or girls, have any questions, comments (wow, I sound like a food product), ideas, flames, insults, etc., just review. I will greatly appreciate it. 


	14. Unmasking the Villains

Red Mage 04- Thanks as always for your review, and I am elated that this amateur writer could actually write something that you liked reading -grins and bows-. In response to the boulder question, if you remember, Samos instructed her to wait by the levitation machine so she could watch from a safe distance. When she saw that her father and the rest of the villagers were going to be killed, she used the machine to make the boulder shoot forward. After that, it relied on a wonderful thing called momentum to wreak havoc on the Lurkers. And to think, if Klaww had never set such a gigantic boulder down there in the first place, it would have never been able to save the village. Also, I know you didn't ask, but you might be wondering why if Klaww was fifty-feet tall and could survive lava, why didn't he just go down to the village and destroy it himself. The answer is because while his body could shrug off the lava heat as if it was a bath, the cold of the water would have killed him. And yes, as always, the villains beat the good guys to the punch, as you effectively put it, because if they didn't, the game wouldn't be any fun. As to your idea, I had no idea who Tarath is, until I read the next chapter of your masterpiece. If I shouldn't know anything about him other than the fact that he lives in the Precursor Stone, don't tell me, because that would partially ruin the book for me (no matter how much it kills me, I'm a glutton for suspense). And as for using my characters, if you want, I'll email you a list of every important character in my book, both the ones that have passed and the ones still to come. I would be deeply honored and it would be my privilege to help out such a renowned writer such as you. And I came up with this idea after I reviewed, but I thought that the mist that Jak sends out. If you want, you could make his body become the mist, allowing him to move places such as through cracks and under doors. Maybe not now, probably after he has a better understanding of his powers, but let me know what you think.

animedragongirl- I am so happy to know that I didn't chase you away like I seemed to do to so many others wipes forehead in relief and then parties. I also am grateful for you helping out Red Mage 04 with his story- its people like you that make the world a better place, whereas people like me make other people need many years of intense psycho-therapy. I will take the comment about paragraphs to heart; usually I make them longer because I'm concerned they are too short. However, if you think I should make them shorter, I will do that from now on. I didn't notice that my work sounded like a broken record- thank you very much for pointing that out. I will take your advice and proofread each chapter more than once, so that way I can avoid repeating words and phrases. Thanks for that tip in Chapter Eleven about putting search instead of stare. I'm really sorry about that one sentence that has the end cut off. Usually I'm thinking while I type, and (slow thinker though I am), my fingers can't keep up with my brain. I'm trying to stop doing that, so please let me know if I do it again. I'm going to re-read my chapter at least twice to prevent mistakes like this in the future, but thank you for pointing them out now. I am an avid reader, I've been reading since as far back as I can remember, so that was the one and probably only bit of advice I didn't need. I am FAR from being a prodigy however, I'm more along the lines of WAY below novice. As for Legend of Zelda, I did play Wind Waker, but in my opinion the Ocarina of Time was much better. I asked my friend and he said to include a giant key instead of making it just a long thing with a start and finsih line. If you want me to change the set-up for a Temple, or have any ieas for booby traps for the temples, please let me know, since I am desperate for ideas. Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this piece of c and, more importantly, review it.

EyesLikeSilk- Thank you for saying I have potential, I will try very hard to live up to that. Alas, structure is the one thing I never was very good at (my horrible English average will testify to that). Also, the reason why some of my paragraphs are so long is because either I'm paranoid and think they are short, or because I thought I had broken it and forgotten to. I think that's gotten much better, but I might be wrong so please let me know if it is. I try to do my best on pointing out who talks, but it's easier on me because I can see it all happening in my head. I keep forgetting that while I know everything about what's happening where, I have to be sure to tell you guys so you can keep up. I'm going to try extra-hard to make sure everyone knows who is talking. Unfortunately, I have absolutely no idea what Mary Sueish means, so if I haven't chased you off by the time you get to this, please tell me what that means. Most of those characters will in fact play a significant role before the end of the book, so rest assured I included them all for a reason. Also JAk never talks, per se. Whenever there are quotations coming from his it is him thinking, since I tried to give an insight into his point of view. I didn't like the fact that he was mute in the first game, only to have a voice-box surgically implanted him during the "Two Years Later" sign at the beginning of Jak II. The whole letting you see his thoughts thing is a way for people who haven't played any of the games to get a better understanding of his character.

Lazy Susan- Wow, my own cousin! Hey Alyx. :-P. Anyone, if she has written anything, (I didn't see anything) I urge you to read it. All my cousins can write circles around me. Hope to see you soon as well, hopefully for Thanksgiving.

Lauren- Hey Lauren. Wow, you finally read it hand you a cookie and then throws a party. I love parties. Uh yea, about the whole describing thing, I'm gonna try to do that now that I know you are reading it, and for anyone else who is reading this sad excuse for a story who didn't play the games. I'm gonna be hiring bodyguards in that case, because Jak and Keira aren't gonna kiss for a good long while. I did read this chapter over, so I think all the mistakes are gone. And yes, I made the paragraphs shorter. Well, most of them at least.

Disclaimer- If I owned Jak and co. two things. One, I wouldn't be writing _fan fiction_ about it. And two, no matter how bad the sales would have been, this is how it would have been made. If that wasn't clear enough for you lawyers, I don't own them.

* * *

The Villains Unmasked

Jak and Daxter stepped back as Samos popped out of the Warp Gate. Keira had stayed back to lock up the Zoomer. Daxter laughed as the rather brilliant Sage landed somewhat unceremoniously on his skull. "Oh, I always wonder if I'm losing body parts in those things!" Samos groaned as he fell backward onto the floor. Jak chuckled as he helped Samos to his feet. The old sage peered around at the damage and destruction that the hut had sustained.

"Holy Yakow! The Red Sage's lab looks worse than the Blue's!" He exclaimed as he examined one of the burn marks.

"Well, it definitely looks as though there's been a struggle here." Keira commented as she entered the hut and looked around. All of a sudden, a horrid laugh filled and echoed throughout the room. Jak, Daxter, Samos and Keira all looked around to see where it was coming from. Hovering a foot or so above the Warp Gate, were the two people from Misty Island. Jak didn't need to see the man; he had caused him enough problems to know by now that he wore dark robes with a dark blue cape. Jak instead focused his attention to his female companion. She appeared to be about Keira's height, but that was the only thing the two had in common. Whereas Keira had peach skin and bright, kind eyes: this woman's skin was gray like her companions, and her eyes were yellow with black pupils. She had an orange helmet with two great green jewels embedded in it right above the eyes.

Her hair was long and graceful, about the only attractive quality that could be attested to her. She had leather gloves on, the back of the hand part covered in Precursor metal. She wasn't modest at all, Jak thought as he noticed that Keira's red no-sleeve shirt showed less skin than the armor this woman was wearing. Far from get a positive reaction from Jak; this indecent display of skin made him want to look away. Keira always to keep modest, but whatever skin she showed looked attractive, all peaches and cream colored. This mystery woman's pants started about an inch and a half below her belly button and went all the way down to her feet, which were uncovered. The pants were a combination of Yakow leather and Precursor armor. Both of the necromancers hovered around for a few seconds before landing on the bookcase and leering down at everyone. Finally, the male spoke.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! I'd hardly call it a "struggle", would you, dear sister?" He asked, rubbing his hands as he looked at the woman Jak had been surveying with extreme distaste moments before.

"Certainly not. The Red Sage gave up with so little effort. No fun at all..." She said as she pouted and picked at her fingernails.

Samos had been studying the man very closely. "...Gol! Is that you!" He said as he adjusted his glasses and intensely drank in their appearance. "You've finally gone off the deep end, eh? And Maya, I told you the Dark Eco would affect you both! Nobody ever listens to old Samos..." Samos groaned as he slapped his face. After sliding his hand down, he pointed an accusing finger at Gol. "What have you done with the Blue and Red Sages?" He demanded. Gol's face went from one of leering to of annoyance.

"Don't worry about your colorful friends, you old fool! They're perfectly safe at our Citadel... our special guests."

"They have graciously agreed to help us on a little... project." Maya added.

"You were wrong, Samos. Dark Eco CAN be controlled!" Gol exclaimed as he greedily rubbed his hands together. "We've learned its secrets. And now we can re-shape the world to our liking!" He proclaimed, spreading his arms and widening his eyes.

"You can't control Dark Eco by itself!" Samos said as he shook his head. He was no longer totally sure, since after all Daxter and Keira had told him, he was no longer positive that Dark Eco was uncontrollable. He had seen it be Channeled before, but he was not going to tell Gol that. Mistaking Gol's raised eyebrow for a glimmer of doubt instead of annoyance, he continued trying to reason with the demented Sages. "Even the Precursors --"

"Until now, we've had to scrape by with what little Dark Eco can be found near the surface." Maya interrupted, narrowing her eyes at Samos as though she would love nothing more than kill him there and then. "But soon, we will have access to the vast stores of Dark Eco hidden deep underground." She continued, smirking as Samos' eyes widened in fear.

"Not the silos!" He whispered.

"Yes, the silos! They WILL be opened! And all the Dark Eco of the world will be OURS!" Gol proclaimed, grinning insanely. Samos knew then that all reason and logic had deserted his colleague and former friend.

"But that's impossible!" Samos said, trying to reassure himself as he once again attempted to dissuade the two of them. "Only a Precursor Robot --"

"Oh, don't look so upset, Samos." Maya said as she rolled her eyes and waved her hand at him. "We've got BIG plans for you..." She trailed off ominously as she pointed a gray finger with a long black fingernail at him. Gol and Maya then vanished in a puff of dark purple smoke, only their trails of laughter remaining. Jak Keira and Samos exchanged significantly dark looks, while it appeared Daxter had been putting his extraordinary brainpower to work on all that had transpired.

"Wait a minute! THAT was Gol?" He cried as he pointed to where they had previously stood. "The same Gol who's supposed to turn me back?" He exclaimed, pointing this time at Samos. "GOL is the guy trying to kill us!" He shouted, waving his arms around before jumping up on Jak's chest and grabbing his shoulders. Trying to shake Jak, (and failing miserably) he bawled as he slid down Jak's chest and landed on the floor on his feet. "I'm doomed." He moaned as he put his ears back and hunched forward, his eyes staring dejectedly at the floor.

"We may ALL be doomed! If they open the silos, the Dark Eco will twist and destroy everything it touches! We simply MUST-" Samos said, banging his staff on the floor- "get to their Citadel to stop them! The fastest way there is through the Spider Caves at the bottom of this crater."

Daxter held up his hand. "Great. Sounds like a real cheery place." He said as he made a fluttering motion with his hands. "Oh, please, don't tell me. Let me guess... there are SPIDERS in Spider Caves, right?" He asked, pointing at Samos. Samos gave Daxter a look that plainly called him an idiot.

"Of course there are spiders in Spider Caves! But that's the least of your problems! The last time I was there with Gol, there were lakes of concentrated Dark Eco! You've got to find a way to plug up those lakes before those monsters get their hands on them! Hop to it!" Samos barked. Jak nodded and turned around to head out the door. He paused when he heard Keira protest.

"But Dad, these notes say that Santar figured out where the key to the Green Eco Temple is. He says that it's on Snowy Mountain Island. Don't you think that we should go there first?" Keira interjected. Seeing her father not entirely convinced, she added, "Alecis lives there doesn't he?"

"Who?" Daxter asked. Jak thanked him mentally, although the name did sound vaguely familiar.

"Alecis," at this point Samos decided to continue the conversation, "is on the Sages Council. He is not exactly a Sage per se, because he is not a Channeler. Rather, he is a renowned expert on Precursor technology. I don't know if Gol has approached him yet, for he would undeniably be a great asset to Gol trying to rebuild a Precursor Robot. All right. We shall go to Snowy Mountain Island."

Daxter decided to point something fairly obvious out at this point, since no one else had seen fit to address the issue. "That's great. Now, I don't mean to be a stick in the mud, but uh, oh how do I put this? Ah. HOW IN THE NAME OF THE PRECURSORS DO WE CROSS THE OCEAN? Finding a one-way ticket to the inside of a Lurker Shark's stomach ain't exactly my idea of a vacation." Three stares met this outburst, but instead of ones that were of disbelief or that clearly told him to shut up, they were ones of astonishment; Daxter had noticed something that Jak, Keira, and even Samos, had failed to notice. They all thought a moment before Daxter piped up again. "We could take the Zoomer," he suggested half-heartedly.

"I don't think the engine I installed on it would be powerful enough to get us twenty miles." Keira mumbled. "Could Jak fly us?" Jak shook his head; he didn't know if he would be able to fly that far, and testing it out over an ocean filled to the brim with Lurker Sharks was not the ideal way of finding out in his opinion.

"I don't think we'll be able to get out there, and that means we won't be able to get into the Green Eco Temple. And that means we won't unlock new secrets of Green Eco." Samos grumbled. Everyone looked at the floor, looking up a stamp of Jak's foot. They stared at him as he jumped up and down and, inexplicably, beamed. Jak pointed to the map, then to Keira.

"We can't use the Zoomer Jak. It doesn't have enough power." Jak shook his head as he grinned. Keira raised an eyebrow as he dragged her outside the hut and around the back. Jak turned away from her and took off his backpack. He took two bags out: one that Keira knew contained Power Cells, and one that she didn't know about. Jak took the bag that contained Power Cells and emptied the contents into Keira's hands.

"You want me to use these to power the engine?" Jak smiled and nodded. Keira shook her head sadly as she poured them back in the bag. "I can't. This engine doesn't run off of Power Cells, only the heat shield does. I'd have to build a whole new engine, and for that, I'd need my tools. Not to mention a whole bunch of metal." Jak grinned as he placed the second bag in Keira's hands. He carefully put his hand inside and drew out a razor-sharp throwing star. A _metal_ razor-sharp throwing star. Keira's jaw dropped as she peered inside the bag and saw about a hundred more in there.

"Where..." she croaked out. "Where did you get all of this metal Jak?" Jak grinned and pointed at the sky. "The dirigible?" He nodded. Keira flung her arms around him as he crushed her body against his, molding the two of them together. Jak nervously bit his lip as he moved closer to Keira's face.

"Hey guys, I hate to be nosy, but what's goin' on out here?" Daxter asked as he stuck his head out the window.

"Way to be a mood-kill, Daxter," Jak thought unhappily as he released Keira. Keira saw the swift annoyed look on his face and the disappointment etched into his features before he pointed at her, clearly asking her to explain.

"Well, apparently when Jak was on the dirigible, he found a bunch of metal throwing stars. If we go back to the garage in Sandover, then I can melt them down and build a new engine that I can modify to run off of Power Cells."

"Well then, what are we waitin' for? I can't wait to go back home." Daxter excitedly chattered as he scampered through the Red Sage's hut and through the Warp Gate. Jak, Samos and Keira quickly followed; they were all suffering from homesickness. Jak rolled out of the Warp Gate into the familiarity of Samos' house. He heard Daxter's muffled screaming and looked around. As he located Daxter, Jak got tears of laughter in his eyes: Daxter had flown out of the Warp Gate so fast that he had landed in the pot containing Samos' Petra FlyTrap. Thinking he was food, the plant had picked Daxter up with a tendril and stuffed him into its mouth. JAk couldn't resist laughing as he saw the lower half of Daxter's body sticking out of it's mouth, his legs and tail wriggling furiously. Keira ands Samos quickly popped out of the Warp Gate right behind Jak, Keira landing on her feet, while Samos landed this time flat on his back. As Keira helped her father up, they looked over at Daxter's screaming pleas of, "Get me outta' here!" to see Jak trying to pull Daxter out. Eventually, Jak squeezed the neck of the plant, knowing that while it hurt, it would reflexively make the plant spit his best friend out. Daxter landed on the floor covered in a strange green ooze. As Samos opened his mouth, Daxter spoke.

"Don't say it. Don't even chuckle," Daxter said as he stuck his hand in the air while laying flat on his back. He stood up and went outside, muttering dark threats to the plant under his breath. Still chuckling, Jak went home, looking forward to seeing his uncle. To his dismay, the house was as lonely and deserted as it had been two weeks ago, when he had battled Gol's apprentice for the first time. Jak sighed in loneliness: his uncle was usually gone more than half of the year. Whenever Jak went to bed, he always stared at the ceiling for a while, wishing he had someone to sleep with. That was the reason he had allowed Daxter to sleep in his room after he had become an Ottsel. That and the fact Daxter was an orphan. Jak felt a great swell of pity for Daxter rise in his chest. He had never known his parents, but at least he had an uncle. Daxter lived with a foster home, and Jak was under the impression that they couldn't really care less about their adopted son. Now that he sat and thought about it, Jak hadn't heard anything about Daxter's "parents" since they had gotten back from Misty Island. Jak felt a knot of anger replace the swell of pity as he thought of Daxter's home.

The father was a drunk who didn't work. From the way she acted, Jak highly doubted the mother cared about Daxter at all. Daxter coped with it as best he could, but was usually miserable. Jak was a bit happy that Daxter had managed to make good friends. Jak remembered one time he had followed Daxter to the edge of the village after saying goodbye because he was curious about why Daxter had never invited him over his house. Jak closed his eyes, trying to recall. It had been three months before they went to Misty Island...

* * *

"Okay, see ya tomorrow Jak," Daxter called. Jak smiled and nodded. As Daxter turned around and walked away, Jak snuck after him to an old shack on the edge of the beach. Jak was surprised Daxter lived there; the house was so weather-beaten and old that he had assumed it was a garage or some kind of storage facility. JAk snuck up to the window and looked in. He saw Daxter tiptoe across the room, sneaking towards the kitchen. His foot landed on a loose floorboard and made a squeak. Jak would never forget the look of terror on Daxter's face as his eyes looked down and then flew to the door across the room. The door burst open and a large man staggered in.

"You worthless pile of crap! Can't you even keep quiet!" The man bellowed. Daxter's eyes widened in fear as his adoptive father marched across the room, a bottle in one hand and smelling of liquor.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry, I w-won't m-m-make any more noise." Daxter mumbled, hunching over and looking at the floor. Far from placating his dad, this seemed to infuriate him even more.

"Oh, don't you talk back to me boy!" He shouted as he raised his fist. Jak looked away and closed his eyes, but there was no drowning out the dull thud and the yelp of pain.

"I told you to be quiet you stupid boy!" The man roared. Jak eyes blazed with anger as he stood up and kicked the door down. The man paused and looked towards the door. His eyes nearly popped out of his skull at the sight of Jak.

"YOU!" He screeched. "You filthy freak. I'll kill you!" As the man swung the bottle, Jak ducked and pulled his fist back. He sent it forward right into the side of the man, sending his fist deep into the man's side. Jak felt with satisfaction an organ meet his knuckle. He remembered how the Warrior from Rock Village had taught him this move- a "kidney-punch." The man gasped for breath and dropped the bottle. Jak caught it and slammed it against the back of the man's skull. As the giant fell with an slam. Jak looked down with disgust at the man who had undoubtedly been the cause of all the unexplainable bruises Daxter had been recently carrying. Jak dragged Daxter outside and marched him back to the village. Once there, he whirled around and looked at Daxter furiously, asking without words why Daxter had never told him anything. Daxter sighed and couldn't meet Jak's eyes, opting instead to stare at the ground.

"I didn't want to bother you with this Jak." Jak's hurt look told Daxter that he would have wanted to be bothered by this. He grabbed Daxter's chin and forced Daxter to look at him. Jak pointed at Daxter's bleeding mouth and then at his own ears. Daxter heaved a huge sigh before sitting in the sand. "All right. I'll tell you everything. I'm an orphan. My mom died giving birth, and my dad had already been killed by a Lurker six months before that. I grew up in an orphanage until I was nine. Then the orphanage said I needed to be adopted, because there wasn't enough room for me and I was the oldest one there. Those two," here he paused and pointed at the shack, "said they'd be happy to take me in. They were actually good people. They never had much money, but the three of us were happy together. Everything was fine until a year ago. My... father," he spat the word out, "started drinking, because he found out the woman he married couldn't bear children.. About a month after that, my mom started hating me. I don't know why. Maybe it's because I wasn't her real son, and that's what she really wanted. A couple of weeks that after he started hitting me. My mom just stood there and let it all happen. Sometimes she would yell at me for crying too loud. That's why I never wanted to go back. But I don't want to bother you guys, so I never asked if I could stay with you."

Daxter sighed again, this time from relief. It had felt horrible reliving the torment that had been his life for a year. But now that he was finished, he felt much better, like he had just had a poison extracted from his body and mind. He looked up and saw Jak's horrified face. Jak just stood there for a minute before kneeling next to his friend and hugging him. Daxter looked relieved that Jak was not going to tease him. Jak pulled Daxter up and dragged him to Tweetledov Perch's home. Jak pushed Daxter through the doorway, and knocked on the bedroom door. The kind lady emerged. She was about three and a half feet tall and had brown hair. She wore reading glasses, a green shirt down to her knees, and a dark green pants. In her room, Jak could see a hat that looked like the head of a Flut-Flut.

"Yes, could I help you two?" she asked, smiling sweetly. Jak nudged Daxter , who took a deep breath and repeated the entire story to her. At the end, Tweetledov was wearing a similar expression to Jak's: a mixture of horror and pity. "Well Daxter, you are welcome to stay with me as long as you like. I insist on it; I never knew those people who lived on the beach could be so cruel as to want to hurt someone like you." Jak privately felt that once in a while, maybe once a month or so, Daxter did something that actually deserved a good smack, but not by his own parents. He smirked slightly as he remembered the slap Daxter had gotten for 'tripping' and landing on top of Kristen's chest. He shook his head back to reality just in time to see Daxter thanking Tweetledov for her hospitality. Jak smiled as he was reassured that Daxter's adoptive family would no longer be able to hurt him.

* * *

Jak vaguely wondered what Daxter's parents were doing now and how they were holding up without Daxter there. He sighed as his mind turned to the problem at hand. Gol Akaron, the Sage of Dark Eco, had become corrupted by the very thing he had sought to understand and control. He was now trying with increasing frenzy to kill Jak. He was also attempting to rebuild a Precursor Robot to reopen the Precursor Dark Eco Silos and flood the world with Dark Eco. He had also captured two (as far as they knew) members of the Sages Council and was planning to use them for something Jak disbelieved he would like very much . Jak sat up; he had to do something or else he would go crazy. Jak stood up and walked out of his room, only to walk back in. He looked at his dresser and saw a small piece of paper with his uncle's handwriting.

"Jak, my boy. I know you are going on a journey to the north, while mine will lead me to the tropics down south. I have been all the way to the north before and I have mapped the area out for you. I hope this comes in handy on your quest." Jak read this note quickly before eagerly unfolding the paper and looking at the map. It was magnificently done; handwritten, it was a general map of the entire area. Even better, certain parts of the map could be flipped up, revealing a much more detailed version below. His smile vanished as his eyes found Volcanic Crater. It seemed to only be the halfway point between Sandover and Gol's Citadel.

"Well, that just means we'll have to work that much faster," Jak thought as he rolled the map up and stowed it away in his backpack. He looked outside and saw it was still relatively early, so he decided to go visit Keira to see if he could help her. Time was now too valuable to waste if they were only halfway along the path of stopping Gol from achieving his heart's desire. As Jak walked back to Keira's, many people in the village called or waved to him. Before entering Keira's garage, Jak turned around to stare at his hometown. Even after traveling halfway over the land to the north, he loved this village more than any other. He walked in and a spasm of horror snaked its way up his spine. His beloved A-Grav Zoomer was lying in pieces on the floor. Jak looked at it in revulsion; the outer shell had been removed, along with the engine, the heat shield, and the Blaster Ammo Container. Only the Container was on the floor next to the outer shell: the engine and heat shield were nowhere to be seen. Jak looked in the next room and saw Keira sitting at her desk, studying both objects, writing frantically, and checking things over in her books. Jak cleared his throat and Keira looked up to see who had come into the house. Her tired expression brightened considerably when she saw who it was.

"Oh hey Jak. I'm taking apart the engine to see what pieces prevent it from running on Power Cells. And I'm taking the heat shield that _is_ powered by Power Cells apart to see what pieces allow that to happen. Then I'm going to try to duplicate the pieces and transfer them to the engine so it will make the Zoomer more powerful and efficient all around. Um... would you like to help?" Jak nodded his head enthusiastically and pulled up a chair. As he sat down next to her, he took another deep breath and was rewarded with her sweet smell. As Keira took each part of the engine and heat shield, Jak wrote down the name of the piece and the function of it. After making a checklist of the parts that they would require to make an engine that was fueled on Power Cells, Keira looked up and out the window. She was stunned to see the sun setting off in the west; the time had flown so quickly it had felt like just a minute to her.

"Wow we've been working a lot longer than I thought! Do you want something to eat?" Jak nodded as his mouth began watering at the thought of steaks ran through his mind. He would have to settle for a ham and croca-dog sandwich, along with a glass of ice-cold Yakow milk. Half an hour later, Jak and Keira went outside to lay down on the grass in front of the hut. They had fun pointing out the different constellations and Keira pointed out where a star had been. It had been very bright, and Jak was sad to think it had gone out. He got up and gave Keira a brief hug before heading to his house.

"Hey Jak!" Jak turned around to look at Keira curiously and thought she might be getting sick; she looked rather feverish. "D'you... d'you wanna stay here tonight instead?" Keira inquired very quickly. "You can stay in here and I would be in the next room. Dad would be upstairs in case you needed anything. I just thought that you might want some company, with your uncle being gone and all." Jak politely shook his head no. He saw the hopeful light in her face go out like a lamp and felt a little guilty. He put his hand gently on her shoulder and she looked up at him to see him smiling faintly as he embraced her.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable. I should have known that it was a bad idea to ask you." Keira whispered into his ear, eliciting a shiver from him. Jak could not help, on his part, the shiver that went down his spine as he felt Keira's breath on his ear. He also felt a peculiar leaping feeling somewhere around his midriff. He quickly let go of Keira as he turned to go. "Uh, Jak?" He turned around, then looked at her, who scratched the back of her head and stared very hard at Jak's feet. "Why don't you want to stay here tonight?" Jak smiled wryly and pointed to his shoulder, then made a talking motion with his hands. Then he rolled his eyes back and opened and closed his mouth rapidly. Keira giggled at his humorous but accurate description of Daxter. He was right: if Jak spent the night, the entire town would know before the sun came up.

"All right, I'll see you tomorrow Jak!" Keira called as he walked away. Jak waved and continued on his way home. When he got to his room, he saw that Daxter was already sleeping on his pillow. Jak smiled softly and lightly picked up the entire pillow up. He moved it slowly to the side so as not to wake his best friend and he would have room to lay his head. Jak laid down and closed his eyes. That night, he dreamt of Keira, the thought of her forbidding any impure nightmares to enter his subconscious. Eight hours later, Jak woke up suddenly from a very funny dream involving Daxter and him riding a bucking Yakow and landing in a pool of Jell-O. They had been bouncing up and down when Jak became aware that sunlight was streaming through the window. He felt so warm, so very sleepy, that he wanted nothing more to return to sleep's wonderful embrace.

Someone shook his shoulder and he reluctantly opened his eyes to see Keira bending over him, a smile on her face. Jak was so shocked at seeing her in his room that he gave a start of surprise and fell of the bed. Keira giggled as she watched Jak try to free himself from the entanglement of his sheets. Jak's feet flailed around in the air in a desperate attempt to free his legs while his head was on the ground, the upper half of his body naked. Keira ripped the offending sheets off Jak's legs and helped him to his feet, and could not help taking in his body as she did so. For some reason, she was not at all embarrassed about seeing Jak with only his shorts on when she had blushed so much seeing him in nothing but underwear two weeks ago. Jak was also perfectly content allowing Keira to look at him this way, his shorts showed less skin than his bathing suit.

"Morning," she said in a sing-song voice. Jak smiled sleepily at her a he sat back on his bed and rubbed the crust out of his eyes. He looked over and saw Daxter on his back, a tiny trickle of drool coming out of his mouth. Jak shook his head in astonishment: how Daxter could sleep through the vibrations Keira had made while waking him up and the noise he had made as he fell was beyond his comprehension. "Uh Jak?" Something in Keira's would-be casual tone made Jak regard her warily; he had a feeling he would _not_ like what she was about to tell him. Keira took a deep breath and continued quickly before she lost her nerve. "I need you and Daxter to go back to Misty Island." Jak groaned and Keira looked at him nervously. "You know I wouldn't ask you to go back there unless I really needed you to." Jak breathed deeply and nodded, she had a valid point. Daxter had told her a number of times how scary and dangerous that place was.

"Look, it has to do with the new engine I'm building. I realized last night that I didn't have a copy of the piece we need to transfer the energy from the Power Cells to the engine. Then I remembered you guys brought back Power Cells from Misty Island. Daxter told me that the Power Cells were the fuel for the cannons. That's when I thought we might be able to salvage some pieces of the remains of the cannon." Jak closed and thought that the wish that he had made three weeks ago: the one where he wished he never had to return to Misty Island, would not be granted. He stood up and groaned as he stretched his back muscles. He went over to his dresser and got a piece of paper and a pen. He scribbled something and handed the note to Keira.

"Couldn't you just build a copy instead?" Keira read this note before looking embarrassed.

"Well of course I could. But the thing is, it would take me a couple of weeks. That's why I'd really like to get the piece from Misty Island if we can." Jak looked at her with a little kid face. Keira stuck her bottom lip out and looked back at him with puppy-dog eyes. Jak smirked before he got a shirt out of his dresser and put it on. As he wound the leather through his chest ring, he wrote another message. Keira took it, and by the time she had finished reading it, her face was a little whiter than usual. "Why do I have to come with you?" Jak wrote down his response after he fastened his forearm and shoulder armor on.

"Because me and Daxter don't have any idea what this thing might look like, and since you're better with machines than us, you have to come along." Keira scanned this letter before begrudgingly admitting this was true. Jak woke Daxter up and pointed at Keira, telling her to let him know what was going on. As Jak sat down in the kitchen and poured himself a bowl of cereal, he heard Daxter's loud moans, a clear signal that Keira had informed him of the task at hand. After breakfast, the three of them went to the fisherman's boat and powered it up. They sat back and basked in the sun after putting the boat in the direction of Misty Island. As they arrived, Jak and Daxter got off the boat with a certain amount of confidence. Keira, on the other hand, was more nervous than she had ever been in her life. Jak saw the familiar cliff in front, but he wondered if there might not be an easier way around. Looking to the left he saw nothing but the odd gray sand that covered the beach area, but the way to the right yielded a path. Jak motioned for Keira to follow him as he cautiously made his way around the mountain and down the route that he had not noticed the last time he was here.

After about three minutes of walking in silence, Jak noticed a cut in the path that rose up about six feet. He carefully hoisted himself up and saw a five-foot tall, blue Lurker walking around. He immediately recognized it as a General by the tell-tale club, not to mention the bone armor and helmet it was wearing. Jak noticed with a mixture of interest and apprehension that the Generals seemed to have been given extra armor, since its fingers and feet were covered in bone as well. Jak picked a small pebble up and threw it behind the General, causing it to spin around. It never found the origin of the sound, due to the fact Jak had shot a pea-sized beam of Yellow Eco straight through its skull. As it slumped down, Jak jumped up onto the path and helped Keira up as well. Together, the three of them covered the body of the General with small rocks so it would not be immediately distinguishable. About ten feet away, a Scout met a similar fate. Jak wondered what to do with this body: there were no more rocks, and a four and a half foot tall purple ape wasn't exactly hard to miss if another patrolling Lurker happened to come by. Jak thought of an idea and dragged the body away. Keira followed him, kicking dirt over the blood so nothing would be able to see or smell it. JAk carried the body all the way back to the beach and flung it in the ocean. As he watched it sink, he thought with approval at how they had so far not alerted the island to their presence. After going back to the area where they had met up with the Scout, they came to a fork. One way led up and left, the other went into a cave. Jak decided to go in the cave, as it went into the mountain, which meant there was a better chance of finding the Dark Eco Pool, where the stairs that led to the cannon wreckage were.

As they entered the cave, the temperature dropped from slightly warm to fairly cold. A constant breeze blew, causing goose bumps to erupt on Jak's skin. He looked over at Keira and saw she was holding her arms and shivering. JAk stopped and looked around in his backpack for something he might be able to use to keep her warm. To his delight, he found a sweater that he had brought along in case they had entered territory that was cold. He handed it to Keira, who reluctantly took it.

"What about you Jak? Aren't you cold too?" Jak shrugged and turned his Red Eco Box on. He formed a very thin layer of energy around him, allowing the excess kinetic energy it provided to heat his body up. He looked at his readout and saw he had enough to last him twenty minutes. He would then have to turn the Box off in order to save some in case he should need to fight. They went deeper and deeper, noting with some uneasiness how torches had been placed at regular intervals. That practically screamed the presence of Lurkers, which made Keira a tad nervous. To encourage herself, she drew the bow and arrow that she had brought with her. They entered a huge cavern. Even with the light of the torches, they could not see the walls or ceiling. A faint glow was coming from the other side. Jak squinted and he thought it looked like sunlight, which meant there was a good chance the Dark Eco Pool was on the other side of the grotto. A strange stalagmite shot up out of the ground near a twenty-foot gap. Jak placed his hand on it and pushed gently. To his surprise, the entire thing leaned forward. JAk reached behind himself to find Keira's stomach. He pushed her gently away before Channeling more Red Eco into his hand. He punched as hard as he could and a huge crack appeared at the base of the protrusion. He turned his Red Eco Box off and pushed as hard as he could. The entire flange fell and formed a bridge. Jak allowed Keira to go first so if she fell, he would be able to catch her.

As they crossed, Jak looked down and saw that they were above a giant pool of Dark Eco. Making a mental note to avoid to going over the edge at all costs, Jak hurried Keira along. At the next section, there was another ledge a few feet forward and down. Jak let Keira go fist, ready to levitate her if she didn't make it. To his relief, that was not needed. He jumped down and followed her along a new path. As they saw another gap coming up, a much larger one than the one they had just cleared, they sped up. Jak gauged the distance and pulled Keira, knowing she couldn't jump fifteen feet. He hoisted her up on his back and turned his Red Eco Box on for strength. Three feet from the edge, the ground crumbled and the three of them began to fall to a pit of almost certain death. Jak thought quickly and he took out his Hookshot. Aiming wildly he fired and felt like shouting for joy when he was jerked upwards. As they landed in a heap of tangled limbs, they looked at the source of light, which was much closer. To his discontent, he saw the light was not given off by sunlight, as he had originally thought, but Power Cells. Jak picked up the three of them and stowed them safely in his backpack.

Jak turned around and the three adventurers started on the way back. Keira pointed out another path that led around the cavern, and Jak agreed to take it. He couldn't see any reason not to, everything was dangerous in this Legatee-hole. The path led uphill around the perimeter of the chamber, and Jak noticed it felt very unsteady. He wondered whether the entire thing might not collapse. Unfortunately, as soon as this thought crossed his mind, the ground beneath him started to sink. He saw Keira about fifteen feet ahead of him and stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled to get her attention. Keira turned around and saw Jak running at her, the ground beneath him crumbling away and falling into the darkness below. Keira needed no more incentive to move faster and Jak soon caught up with her. As they reached the end, Jak grabbed Keira's hand and fired his Hookshot into the wall. As it dug in he stopped it from pulling them and instead lowered them all onto sturdy ground. They went back through the entire cave and wound up and the fork in the road again. Keira handed the sweater Jak had leant her back to him and Jak stored it safely in his backpack. All of them shared a collective sigh of despair as they turned to the right and started up a whole new path.

The three adventurers walked along the dirt path that had a shallow slant uphill for a while. Eventually they came to a tall white smooth mountain. "Strange. I've never seen rock like this before..." Keira muttered as she climbed. Jak privately agreed: the rock under his fingertips felt almost smooth, yet it had a myriad of tiny holes in it, giving it a porous look and feel to it. As they advanced towards the top, they heard what sounded like bone hitting a floor. Jak signaled Keira to stay back as he climbed over the edge. A snarl followed by a snap was all she heard before the limp body of a General was hurled off the summit and hit the dirt below. Jak's head popped out and he reached an arm down to help Keira up the rest of the way.

After they dusted themselves off, the three travelers came across a pretty big gap. Peering over the edge, Keira couldn't even see the bottom, which indubitably meant that it was either very deep, or there was a pool of Dark Eco at the bottom. Since both of these possibilities seemed equally uninviting, Keira took a running start and leapt across the chasm. Jak started and immediately hurled himself off the ledge to make sure she landed. While Keira had the extra momentum as a head start, JAk did not, and so he found himself hanging onto the edge. Keira helped him up and he clasped his hands together while batting his eyes. Keira giggled at how ridiculous he looked and then she led the way for a while.

After about ten minutes of walking the path began to take a steeper path upwards. Jak saw that it was made out of the same kind of rock as the small mountain before. He noticed that it was cylindrical and it seemed to be broken into sections. There were curves coming off the sides. These went up, and they ended in a sharp tip.

"By the Precursors..." Keira breathed. "Its, its bone." Jak and Daxter looked at her questioningly. "This rock isn't really rock. Its the backbone of something. I don't know what it could possibly be." Three of them shared nervous looks; all of them sincerely hoped that whatever had died here was the last of its kind. At the top of the path was a hole filled with Dark Eco. Jak picked Keira up and flew them all over the pool of death. He decided to just fly to the end of the path and get it over with. As he soared through the air with Keira in his arms, Jak contemplated kissing her while they were airborne but decided against it, considering the Ottsel with the biggest mouth in the world was sitting on his shoulder. As he landed, he saw that this time they had indeed chosen the right path. There lay the Dark Eco Pool that had started this whole crazy adventure. As they climbed the stairs, Jak hoped that they found the piece that they were searching for, otherwise this whole day would have been a waste of time. They reached the very top of the mountain and saw the debris of the cannons. JAk motioned for Keira to go find the piece they needed. As she shifted through the bits of wood and metal, Jak got a very uneasy feeling. He felt as though they were being watched, but there was no one in sight. He put his hands on his belt, just in case he needed to fight.

"Found it!" Keira exclaimed. Jak felt relieved: now they could get out of this place. Suddenly he felt rather than sensed something behind them. He spun around and ducked just in time. A blade of what looked like purple Yellow Eco went whizzing through the air where his head had been only an instant before. Jak looked at the source of it and felt a hatred that he didn't know he was possible of carrying erupt in him. Standing behind him was Gol Akaron himself, glaring at Jak as though he would love nothing better than to torture Jak to death.

"So, it appears that you three are still intent on stopping me? So be it. I was going to allow you to become my servants and live. But if you are so stubborn as to struggle against the beauty of darkness, then... YOU MUST DIE!" Gol bellowed these last words and suddenly an aura manifested itself around his body. Jak noticed it was an aura very much like the one that appeared whenever he was Channeling. Unfortunately, it was dark purple, and it looked much bigger than Jak's had ever been. Jak considered running, but knew that that would not assist him in the slightest. All that would happen would be that he would die without having a chance to protect those he held close to his heart. JAk formed an Eco Blade in his left hand, while Channeling Yellow Eco around his right. Gol looked mildly surprised.

"You think that just because you can form an Eco Blade means you will have an advantage. Fool." Gol summoned his own blade and adopted a fighting stance. The only difference was while Jak's blade was a deep golden, the demon's was a dark purple. Jak leapt at the dark Sage while swinging his sword. The two of them went back and forth between attacking and defending. Gol had to admit against his will that Jak had become much more powerful than the last time they had met. Jak clashed his sword against Gol's and struck out with his right fist. The punch did absolutely nothing against his opponent. Jak Channeled more Eco into his hand but it still did him no good. Jak noticed a faint purple shield around Gol's entire body. Gol laughed as he saw Jak had seen why he was so relaxed. "That technique is pitiful. Allow me to show you something a bit more advanced." Gol stretched his hand out and purple electricity flowed from it towards Jak. JAk leapt into the air, landing far enough away from Gol to ensure he would have plenty of time to dodge the lightning attack. Gol shot a ball of Dark Eco at him and Jak bent backwards to avoid being hit. The said orb exploded behind him and he feared for Keira's safety.

Almost as if he had read Jak's mind, Gol turned to face the frightened girl behind him. He smirked at Jak and shot another orb at her. Jak dashed forward to her, desperate to get to her before the bomb. Time seemed to slow down as he got closer. Pain the like of which he had never felt coursed through his body; every nerve was on fire, it felt like white-hot needles were poking him from every side. Jak lost the will to stand and his body crumpled. Gol stepped over his body and got closer to Keira.

"Ah well. It appears that your brave knight in shining armor won't be around to save you this time, my dear. Soon Dark Eco will rule the world, and you will be my queen. The two of us shall-" Gol was rather rudely cut off by a fist wrapping itself around his throat. Jak yanked Gol away from Keira and threw him. The protective green shield around his body dissipated as he called his Eco Blade. He leapt at Gol, who clutched his throat.

"How DARE you touch me. You filthy little Channeler!" he screamed as he launched another lightning attack at Jak. Jak leapt into the air and shot a beam of Eco at Gol. Gol smirked as he shot a thinner beam of Dark Eco. His beam sliced through Jak's and headed for the caster. JAk brought his arms up in defense, planning to deflect it. Although his forearm did not deflect the beam back at Gol, it did cancel the attack out. Jak and Gol clashed blades once more, Jak trying to outmuscle the old man. It was proving harder than he had originally surmised. Gol formed another blade and prepared to cut through Jak's body only to be thwarted by Daxter. The Ottsel had snuck up the pant leg of the demented Sage and hug dug his claws and teeth into the skin. Gol concentrated and Daxter emerged from the bottom of his pants, holding his burnt tongue. Gol spun around and the five arrows Keira had sent at him were burnt to ashes. He spun around again and pushed his blade against Jak's and pushed Jak to the ground. Jak looked up as Gol let loose another lightning attack. Jak didn't even think about what he was doing, he simply brought his sword up to defend himself. The lightning rebounded off the sword and back at Gol. Gol himself continued casting his attack, not being able to stop. He shrieked as the attack peeled his skin off and eventually he managed to wrench his hands away and stopped the assault. Jak darted forward and Gol let out a scream of pain as his right arm was hacked off right below his elbow. He let out a snarl before disappearing.

Jak sighed, but then his warriors' sense went off again. He looked around and saw swarms of Lurkers (mostly Scouts, Generals, and Apes). Jak summoned two Eco Blades and engaged them all. Keira watched for a second before drawing her bow and arrows. After about two minutes of endless killing, Keira realized it was no good: she was out of arrows and even Jak was beginning to get tired.

"Jak, we have to get out of here. They'll overwhelm us with sheer numbers if we don't." Jak nodded and started fighting his way towards her. He was grateful that while it took an enormous amount of energy to summon an Eco Blade, after that it cost him no power. What was even better was when he recalled his blade, the Eco he used returned to his Yellow Eco Box. After reuniting with Keira, he formed a giant ball of Yellow Eco. All of the Lurkers paused, not quite sure of what to make of this new power. JAk threw it up in the air, where it hovered about fifteen above the ground. He clapped his hands and about fifty thin beams shot out of the ball. They were very thin, but piercing, as shredding through the armor of the Generals testified. The beams were very small, and when they were finished, the ball still hovered, albeit it was smaller. Fifty more beams shot out, and this continued until the small sun was depleted. Jak grabbed Daxter and stored him safely in his back pack. As he turned his Blue Eco Box on he started running and picked Keira up bridal-style. Jak made sure Daxter was safely in his backpack before shooting straight up. He flew over to the boat and they hastily turned it on. As they left, they heard the Lurkers let out a bellow of fury. The three of them let out a collective sigh of relief as they went back to Sandover Village. They watched the stars as they got closer and closer. As they docked, Jak removed the Power Cell from the motor and gave it and the other forty-eight Power Cells to Keira.

"Well, at least I got this piece. By tomorrow, the new engine should be hooked up and ready to roll." Jak grinned and watched Keira as she walked away. He went back to his house and fixed three sandwiches; two for him one for Daxter. After dinner, Jak collapsed on the sofa, as he was too wiped out to get to his room. Daxter curled himself into a ball and slept on Jak's chest. Once again Jak enjoyed a peaceful night, pure thoughts of Keira protecting his mind. In the morning he went to Keira's house to find Samos waiting for him.

"JAk. I just want to say I'm very impressed. From what Keira told me last night, although you did not kill Gol, you did manage to survive a sparring session with him, and you even succeeded in damaging him." Jak grinned, it was very rare that he received praise from Samos. "Keira is asleep, she stayed up until dawn working on the Zoomer. She will teleport it to you in the Volcanic Crater, and from there, the three of you will drive it to Snowy Mountain Island." Jak nodded and went back to his house. He figured if Keira could sleep, so could he. At about noon, Keira woke up and went to see Lauren and Kristen. After about an hour, during which she relayed all of her adventures and told them of all the times she and Jak had almost kissed but hadn't yet, she ate at their house and went to find Jak. After waking him up, they went through the Warp Gate to the Red Sage's hut. Jak boarded the Zoomer and waited for Keira to climb on behind him. She did, and Jak bit his lip as her hands ran down his chest, almost crashing into the mountainside. He shook his head as her hands went around his waist and gripped tighter as he accelerated. The Zoomer shot over the top of the mountain and they flew for a good full minute before hitting the water. It seemed Keira had improved the stabilizers, as he barely felt a tiny bump when they hit the water. Jak saw a tiny dot in the distance and shot for it, assuming that this was his next destination.

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Wow, I have reviewers. Five of them. dances and then throws a _third _party. Well, for once I was right. I was actually able to get this done faster by working on it during my free periods. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, as I needed to have Gol look "normal". If you have anything you want to say, say it by reviewing. I don't care what you guys say, but if anyone would like to give me any, I am in desperate need for Lurker species. Also, if you have managed to invent an Eco Power, by all means share it; there is a 99chance I will use it at some point. And if you have an idea for a trap or design for the Green and Red Eco Temples, by all means, share it. 


	15. The Mountain's Mysteries

Red Mage 04- The question "if the bad guy can teleport anywhere at any time, then why doesn't (s)he just zip in, grab the artifact, and leave before the adventurers have even finished the nerve-wracking puzzle on the third floor?" is indeed answered. Because otherwise they'd never get to monologue and taunt the heroes. The Power I gave you, hope it can come in handy, and is Keira the LEU? I know I gave you the list, and in turn, thank you for e-mailing it back to me. And for the record, this is Chapter Fifteen. You gotsa lay off the rancid Yakow milk there buddy:P.

Animedragongirl- Sorry about the capitalization thing. I got so caught up proofreading the last chapter that I forgot to spell check. Stupid of me huh? Anyhow, I think I have the paragraph thing down, please let me know how I do on that, if I haven't chased you away yet.

Disclaimer: I don't own this, hasn't anyone figured that out yet? Cough lawyers cough.

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The Mountain's Mysteries

Jak yawned as he steered the Zoomer through the gaps in small icebergs that were beginning to litter the ocean. Although it was getting harder, which meant it was getting more fun in Jak's opinion, he had been doing nothing except drive in a straight line for the past three quarters of an hour. The most exciting thing that had happened was he watching the island in the distance get bigger. Jak shook his head to clear it of the lethargy that remained. Keira mumbled something in her sleep behind him and tightened her grip on his waist. Jak wondered what she was dreaming about as he dodged a few more icebergs, but forgot about it as he felt the temperature begin to drop. Where it had been pleasantly cool, it was now quickly becoming bitter cold. Daxter was contently asleep in Jak's backpack as usual. Jak made a left followed by a quick right, wishing he could go faster. He loved going as fast as he could, pushing his limits as he was forced to maneuver the Zoomer with lightning-quick reflexes.

A sudden crunching sound behind the Zoomer caught Jak's attention. He slowed down and turned around as it got louder. His eyes widened slightly in disbelief as he saw a twenty-foot wave heading towards the land. He quickly did a sharp one-eighty and took off. Keira woke up as the Zoomer shot forward and shrieked in shock. The unexpected sound from her caused Jak to pull sharply to the left. As he straightened out, Jak felt something shift behind him and noticed the Zoomer had gotten much lighter. He turned around just in time to see Keira smash her head against a floating piece of ice and fall into the water. His heart stood still for several seconds as he saw the wave get closer and Keira's body begin to sink into the icy depths.

Reacting at last, Jak drove up to her and pulled the Zoomer back to bring it to a complete stop. He reached down and felt her hand; it was colder than the water he heaved her out of. Jak pulled Keira's body out of the water and placed it in a sitting position n front of him so that his chest covered most of her back. He wrapped his legs around hers and turned his Red Eco Box on, hoping the extra heat it provided him would transfer over to her. He revved the engine a few times to warm it back up and took off like a shot. Dodging the icebergs as he hurtled through the water a sixty miles an hour, Jak willed the Zoomer to go faster, even though he knew he would likely hit something if he went any faster. Jak thought bitterly how he _had_ wished he could go faster before. The Precursors must have a really sick sense of irony, Jak thought. Sure, he could now go faster, but at what cost? Risking being crushed by a tsunami behind him and running the risk that Keira might die of hypothermia if he didn't move fast enough? It hardly seemed fair in Jak's eyes.

As the island drew closer, a scraping sound made Jak look down. He sent a few curses at the ice as he saw an ice shard imbedded in the side of the Zoomer. What worried him more was the blue liquid seeping out around the hole. Jak turned the Zoomer off in an attempt to stop the leakage and was relieved to see it ebb a little. He turned his Blue Eco Box on and levitated the Zoomer. He shot forward so fast that he thought he would fly off the end and he tightened his grip. As he landed on the beach, he continued going, hoping to reach a town before Keira's condition became serious. The wave behind him finally reached the landed and shattered upon the ground. The resulting shockwave caused the Zoomer to buck forward and Jak went flying forward. He grabbed Daxter out of his pouch and placed him on Keira's stomach. As they got closer to the land, Jak spun around so that he crashed and the others were unharmed.

Jak stood up and waited for Daxter to climb up his shoulder. When Daxter did not, Jak looked down and saw Daxter had his face in Keira's chest. Jak got very angry and picked Daxter up by the scruff of the neck. When the former elf did not respond, Jak took a closer look at him and saw that he had been knocked unconscious. Jak gently stored Daxter's furry body inside his backpack and picked Keira up, Channeling Blue Eco again in the hope he could find a nearby town. Unlike so many times in the past, he did not feel the power of Blue Eco seep into his body. Looking down at the Eco Readout, Jak stared at the 0 that was showing. He took a deep breath and willed himself not to panic.

Jak flipped the switch on his Blue Eco Box and turned his Red one on instead. He knew the extra heat it would provide for him would enable him to stand the cold, and it might help to keep Keira warm as well. After standing behind a tree and warming up, Jak quickly took stock of the situation. He was stranded on Snowy Mountain Island with no Blue Eco, which meant he couldn't fly to the nearest town. There was a raging snowstorm going on, and it looked like it might get worse. Jak put his ear to Keira's chest and was rewarded with the sound of a steady heartbeat. Jak sighed in relief; she was not in immediate danger of dying, but unless he did something quickly, she might get sick or, even worse, hypothermic. In order to ensure her health, Jak would have to warm her up. The question was how did he do that? Fire was the most obvious choice, but that was impossibility. Any wood out here would be soaked and useless, and even if he did find a way, there was no chance he would be able to light it. He had no matches and had not been able to recharge his Yellow Eco Box since using it all on Misty Island. Green Eco would be able to heal her if frost bite set in, Jak that was worst case scenario, and Jak didn't want to even thin about that.

Glaring up at the sky as if he could yell at the Precursors, Jak averted his gaze to the broken Zoomer, almost as if it was his fault. In a fit of rage, Jak kicked the Zoomer; a very unwise thing to do considering all it did was alleviate none of his frustration and gave him a pain in his toe. As he hopped on one of his feet, Jak struggled to keep his balance and saw a camouflage-colored bag on the back. He slung Keira's body over his back, keeping one of his hands on the back of her legs to ensure she didn't fall back, and opened the bag. Inside was the answer to his prayers. Jak now remembered Samos saying something about putting an emergency kit on the back of the Zoomer. He saw wood, two sets of sweat clothes, matches, a blanket and a sleeping bag. Jak laid Keira down on the snow for a quick second so he could hoist the bag on his back. He quickly picked her up and started running to find a cave.

After about a minute and half, Jak saw a hole in the side of a hill. It was just big enough for him to squeeze through, but he managed. After ten feet, the hallway widened and Jak found himself in a hollow roughly the size of his bedroom, maybe a bit bigger. Jak put Keira on the ground and got everything out of the pack. He quickly covered her body in clothes, the blanket and the sleeping bag. He started a fire with the matches and wood, letting the heat wash over him like he was sinking into a warm bath. He turned around to move Keira closer to the fire and saw a nasty bruise on her head. Wondering how he could miss such as an obvious wound, Jak quickly healed it with Green Eco. He ripped everything off her to make sure no other injuries were left unchecked. To his delight, the rest of body was unscathed.

Jak moved her closer to the fire and went back to the entrance. Jak located the Zoomer and dragged it back to the cave, as he didn't want Keira getting angry with him for leaving it outside in weather like this. He went back outside again and began piling snow up so as to block out the entrance. The reasons for this were numerous, two of the most prominent being he didn't want any unfriendly visitors entering, and he didn't want the heat from the fire exiting. Jak stopped piling snow when only about a foot remained, so the air could flow in and out so no one would suffocate.

Finally going inside, Jak turned his Red Eco off and took Daxter out of his backpack. Any fears he might have had about Daxter's health were destroyed when he felt Daxter's body was quite warm. Wanting to be sure, Jak took the blanket and wrapped Daxter up in it. Placing it as close to the fire as he dared, Jak turned his attention to Keira, who was starting to shiver violently. Jak had been hoping it wouldn't have had to come to this, but after seeing how her clothes were frozen solid, he decided he would have to get her out of them. Jak decided to put that off and instead got undressed. Taking his armor, backpack, straps, shirt, and pants off quickly, Jak got dressed in the clothes Samos had provided and could not help grinning lazily; the clothes were very warm and comfy.

Jak turned to Keira, his face blushing furiously. He unhooked the straps that were on her shoulders and slid them off. He then peeled the waterlogged tee shirt she had on and closed his eyes, not wanting to look at her uncovered. Jak looked away and got the sweat short out of the pile. He tried valiantly to get it on without looking at her, but it could not be done. Jak reluctantly looked over at her and even in this time, could not help but admire the beauty that she was. Her shoulders were bony, but had a bit of muscle on them; while her arms were strong yet thin, as many years of tinkering with machines had done that. Her stomach was flat and firm as he felt it, and her chest rose and fell with each breath. Jak tore his gaze away from the beautiful sight that was her body and hastily pulled the shirt over her torso in case she woke up. He then unbuttoned and unzipped her over-alls. As he pulled them off and laid them next to his clothes by the fire, Jak once again could not help but admire her body. Her legs were long, smooth, tan and muscular. He got behind her and pulled the sweat pants up, trying not to touch her bare skin, since there was a chance that it might wake her up. Jak smiled, but there was no trace of happiness, as he imagined what _he_ would look like if Keira knew that he had seen her without clothes on. The mental image made him shudder.

Now that the worst was over, Jak unzipped the sleeping bag and put Keira inside it. He moved her close to the fire and zipped her up, hoping it would warm her up. He crouched and poked at the fire, warming himself as he watched Keira's body stop trembling over the course of an hour. Jak began to get drowsy, and he let out a yawn as Keira mumbled something in her sleep. Jak crawled over to her and put his ear right next to her mouth, so that he could feel her breath, but she did not speak again. Jak felt her face and was shocked to feel it was still ice cold. There was no other alternative; Jak would have to get in the sleeping bag with her and try to warm her up with his body.

Jak unzipped the sleeping bag once more and rolled Keira over so she was on her stomach. He got in behind her and slipped his arm underneath her body so he could pull her closer to him. With one hand he closed the bag, effectively pinning their bodies together. Keira shivered again and Jak pulled her body down until the top of her head was even with his chin. He pulled her even closer to him, wishing she could merge with him and they would never have to be separated. He hesitated, and then kissed the back of her head, wishing he had the courage to do it to her lips when she was awake. Jak inhaled her scent -strawberries and honey mixed- and immediately found himself asleep. His subconscious decided to play a familiar scene, but this time, it ended differently...

Jak, was staring away from Keira, opting instead to gaze out to sea. Keira walked up next to him and leaned on him. Jak looked down and smiled briefly at her, but it was a sad smile. Keira noticed and leaned up to his face. She looked into his eyes, in addition to the beautiful blue they possessed, they also looked troubled.

"You ok, Jak?" she asked gently. Jak nodded his head. "You want to talk about it?" she asked, knowing that he was lying. Jak shook his head and sighed sadly. "Is it Daxter? Do you feel responsible for what happened?" Jak nodded his head sheepishly. "Listen Jak; Daxter told me everything that happened. It's not your fault. If you hadn't thrown that bomb, the two of you might have been killed instead." Jak nodded his head and sat down, staring once more into the horizon. Keira sat down next to him, put her head on his shoulder and snuggled up next to him. She looked up at him, hoping that he would look back. He did, and instead of last time, it didn't feel awkward at all. It felt right to both of them. Jak stared into Keira's green eyes, taking in their beauty. Without even thinking about it, he leaned in closer to her face. Keira started leaning up as the distance between their lips quickly diminished. When their lips were less than an inch apart, they closed their eyes and Jak captured her lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to his body, not wanting this moment to ever end. She let out a soft moan as Jak's hand traveled up and down her spine, kneading the flesh wherever it felt tense. Jak let out a low moan to match hers when she dug her fingers in his hand and massaged his scalp. Off in the distance, Jak heard Daxter calling him, saying something about a minor and a slump-or wanting to talk to him...

Keira started stirring, her body still not fully recovered from the beating it had sustained the day before. She tried to move but two arms that were snaked across her stomach and waist pulled her into a hard flat surface. Keira craned her neck and saw Jak sleeping like a baby. She smiled softly as she wiggled again and he instinctively pulled her possessively back to him. She suppressed a giggle, not wanting to wake him up and truthfully wanting to go back to sleep. Keira began twisting around in an attempt to face Jak. When she did, she entwined her legs with his so they could get even closer and worked her arms around his body so she could feel his back through the shirt he had on. She then buried her nose in the crook of his neck and took in his scent. It was like a drug, and she quickly found herself dreaming a scenario that she did not know was very similar to Jak's.

Daxter stretched and woke up. The fire was out, but there were still coals remaining. He looked over and received a shock; Jak and Keira were facing each other in the same sleeping bag. And despite however innocent Jak appeared to be, Daxter had a nasty suspicion that they weren't fully dressed. Realizing this could be a golden opportunity to see the goods on Keira, he quietly unzipped the bag and was disappointed to see a completely covering sweatshirt and pants. Daxter pouted and considered waking his friends up but then thought, that in itself a very rare occurrence. He knew that Jak would never sleep with Keira, or that Keira would invite him to sleep with her. They were both too damned shy. He then noticed they were fully dressed, and he knew Keira had been knocked out yesterday. Jak must have changed her and then set her by the fire to warm her up. It probably wasn't enough, so he got in and stayed with her. Daxter grinned at the two of them (they really did make a cute couple) before curling back up.

Jak and Keira both woke up at the same time. They stared at each other for a second before realizing the other was awake. Jak blushed and attempted to free himself from the sleeping bag, while Keira did the same. Neither of them could free their arms and eventually the two of them rolled over so Keira was on top. She realized it was pointless to try and get out until Daxter woke up so she decided to have a little fun. She crossed her eyes and stuck her tongue out at Jak, who smiled. The two of them had some fun making idiotic faces until, as always, they realized that Daxter was sleeping and they were very close to each other. Jak raised his head up as Keira lowered her lips, elated that she would finally kiss Jak.

"Oh, hey guys, you're up. Whaddya say we start out." Daxter said as he sat up. He had woken up a second ago to what he was sure was Keira giggling. When he looked over, he had just seen that the two of them had shifted positions, never imagining that he was ruining a moment. Keira seriously considered throttling the Ottsel, but found that her hands were in no position to do such a thing.

"Hey Daxter, me and Jak are stuck. Help us out, would ya?" She called over, not wanting to let on that Daxter had ruined yet another moment.

"Sure thing Keira," Daxter said. As he approached, Keira's anger vanished. She realized that Daxter hadn't been able to see the two of them and that he had no idea what he had done.

As Daxter unzipped the bag, the two of them unfolded their bodies and stretched. Keira started packing up as Jak put their spare clothes in his backpack. As he zipped it up, he noticed the map his uncle had given him. According to it, they weren't even a mile away from the town on this island, Flurry Conurbation.

Jak pointed this out to the others and they agreed to start off immediately. Jak hoisted the Zoomer onto his shoulders and turned his Red Eco Box on. The Zoomer went from being one hundred and fifty pounds of dead weight to what felt like twenty.

The three of them hiked to the town and saw it at the base of the biggest mountain on the entire island. They entered the hut that was separated from the rest of the village and saw to their dismay that Alecis was nowhere to be seen. There were numerous slash marks everywhere, which meant that Gol had certainly needed to put up a fight. What was more; they looked very recent, which meant that Gol might have not been there until last night, or yesterday morning at the earliest. All of them took that as a sign that they were moving faster and faster in relation to Gol's plans, and soon they might be able to catch up with him. Jak activated the Warp Gate, and Daxter laughed at Samos landing on his nose.

Samos let out a sigh as he looked around. "It appears we are too late. Gol has once again beaten us to the punch, or in this case, the sage."

"True, but these marks are recent, so we might be catching up with him. I think Jak should go around and see what information he can scrounge up from the rest of the town." Keira said, trying to cheer her old man up.

"Good idea Keira. While you do that, Jak, the two of us shall go through Alecis' notes to see what information we can gather."

"Hey log for brains, what about me?"

"You? You can put those books back up on the bookshelves." Jak quickly grabbed Daxter and walked out before Daxter found himself unconscious. _Again._ Jak would need someone that could speak when he went around town.

As they exited the hut, Jak and Daxter looked up at the mountain. It looked as if someone had built a rather large fort there. As they strolled into town, both of them noticed that there wasn't a soul around. Everyone was huddled up inside his or her houses. Jak would normally have attributed this to the cold, but with the way everyone kept glancing out the window every half a minute, Jak wagered they were scared of something. He rapped on the door of a house and a haggard looking woman cracked it open. Seeing it was a fellow elf, she smiled warmly and opened the door for him.

"Come in, come in. It's been so long since we've had visitors." She said. Jak smiled and entered the house, removing his boots as he did so.

"Who is it Carla?" a man's voice asked.

"A traveler Daniel. He looks like he's from Sandover." Jak's eyes widened in surprise: he didn't know anyone else knew about his town. The woman caught his gaze and laughed.

"Hey there. Yes, we know of Sandover. My grandfather came from there, but he decided to move here in favor of the cold weather. Pardon me for being rude, but what it that on your shoulder?" The man called Daniel asked.

"'The thing,' on his shoulder is Daxter. And he's an Ottsel. And he has sharp claws, so don't insult me," Daxter said as he glared at the man. Jak smacked him. "Sorry. I ain't used to this weather and I'm a bit touchy. Anyway, my friend's name is Jak."

"So, what brings you boys here?" Carla asked as she served them both a bowl of soup.

"Well, we were gonna come here to meet with the sage. But-"

"Alecis? You know where she is?" Daniel interrupted.

"Should I tell them?" Daxter whispered in Jak's ear, clearly not sure of it would be wise to inform the village their sage had been kidnapped and might be being forced to work on a machine that could destroy the world. Jak sighed and nodded; it was better to tell people the truth, no matter how much it hurt. It was better than blinding them. As Daxter explained the situation, the eyes of the family became wider with fear. When Daxter had finished, the family looked grim.

"Er, we're sorry this had to happen to you guys." Daxter added sheepishly. Jak nodded vigorously.

"Oh, its not your fault dears. But you are right; this is the last thing we needed since the Yeti began attacking. At first we had thought Alecis was planning a way to defeat it, but now..."

"Hold up. A Yeti? What's a Yeti? And why do I get the feeling its not gonna be somethin' we wanna tangle with."

"You are right." the father said, "A Yeti is something you want to avoid at all costs. It is monster Lurker, one that lives at the peak of Snowy Mountain. It is twenty feet tall, and can combine its body in with the ice around it, making it nearly impossible to see. It devours anything living that comes across it."

"Hang on. If it lives all the way up there" -Daxter pointed out the window to Snowy Mountain- "why do you care? And why doesn't the whole town attack him?"

"Because the mean old monster smashed the gwandala. Now we can't go up there and put him in time out," one of the children said. Jak smiled at the child; she thought if they put the monster in time out, then he would behave. Jak's experience with Lurkers had taught him the only ways to stop Lurkers were to either scare them off or kill them. If truth be told, Jak didn't particularly enjoy killing Lurkers. He either did it out of self-defense of protecting others. If the Lurkers left everyone alone and stopped attacking, Jak would be more than happy to allow them to keep living; he wouldn't go and hunt them all down.

"Honey, it's pronounced gon-do-la. The Yeti smashed the gondola that leads to Snowy Mountain. With no one here to rebuild it, it has remained out of order. Jak nodded and bowed his head, a symbol of thanks. The family smiled at him and was happy to point him in the direction of the gondola, though, as Daniel had said, it would not do him much good. Jak got close to the gondola and saw most of it was in prime condition: the only thing wrong with it was the fact that the part where the person sat down had been ripped off.

"Are they kidding? This should be easy to repair. All we would need is some wood, a few pegs and a hammer." Daxter exclaimed. Jak nodded his head and walked back to Alecis' hut.

"Well Jak, it appears that this town is having trouble with the Lurkers as well. According to his notes-"

"A Lurker Yeti is terrorizing these civilians. Yea, we know." Daxter cut Samos off. Samos looked surprised that Daxter had actually managed to beat him to the punch.

Before the situation worsened, Keira decided to change the subject. "Jak, the Zoomer took quite a beating. There's nothing seriously wrong with it, but it will still take me about four or five days to repair it."

"Wait a sec toots. If there's nothing seriously wrong with it then why is it gonna take so long?"

"Because while no one thing is damaged more than anything else, the entire Zoomer got beaten up."

"By the Precursors! Jak, we have to get to the Lurker's fort on Snowy Mountain! According to these notes, Alecis found a cache of Eco Sabers. But I haven't seen them anywhere, and if you look at these tracks outside the window, they are very much like Lurkers. I have no doubt that the Lurkers are now in possession of at least one hundred Eco Sabers."

"Dad, what _are_ Eco Sabers?"

"Eco Sabers are a very powerful weapon. They are about six inches long, and inch around, and look cylindrical."

"So why are you worried then moss head?" Daxter asked.

"Because, fur-ball, they can extend to three feet, and the metal becomes so hot that it can slice through anything, even other Precursor metal." Jak, Keira, and Daxter gulped at the complication that could be launched at them if the Lurkers figured out how to use the Sabers.

"Well, that shouldn't be too hard, but I guess I'll let Jak tag along and let him learn from the pro." Daxter said as he began to go out the door.

"Also, it appears that the Lurkers are up on Snowy Mountain for a reason. Apparently, they've discovered, and are now trying to remove, some Dark Eco stores frozen in the glaciers. While you're up there poking around for Power Cells, the Yeti and the Eco Sabers, stop those Lurkers and keep a little more Dark Eco out of Gol's hands!"

"Geez! How much do you want from us? Let's go Jak." Jak stayed as Daxter walked out of the hut. "Come on Jak, we gotta move." Jak shook his head. Daxter looked confused and then remembered the gondola was broken.

"Hey baby. You got any wood layin' around back in Sandover."

"Don't call me that Daxter. And yea, I think so. Why?"

"Cause we gotta rebuild the gondola. All right, let's go Jak." Jak listened the thirds time and hopped through the Warp Gate, landing back in Sandover. He quickly began to sweat and decided to build it back at Flurry Conurbation.

As Keira worked on the Zoomer, and Samos looked through Alecis' notes, Jak and Daxter spent two days rebuilding the gondola. As they went out on the third morning to attach the gondola to the winch, Keira stopped them after breakfast.

"Hang on Jak. Take these." Keira handed him four bottles. "Its all the Eco we could find in the hut, but it should be enough to recharge your Eco Boxes to full power." Jak smiled and gave her a hug before taking the bottles and taking the gondola up to Snowy Mountain. As it climbed higher, Jak noticed it began t creak. He and Daxter exchanged uneasy glances and pretended not to notice as the creaking got louder and the swaying got more extreme.

At last they reached he top of the mountain. "Here's the welcoming committee, Jak," Daxter said fearfully as roughly a dozen Lurkers rushed in to "greet" them. Jak prepared for battle and noticed that while these Lurkers were similar to Scouts in most respects, they were shorter, stockier, and a bluish-violet instead of dark purple. Jak counted as they got closer; there were actually fourteen. One threw a punch at Jak while the other thirteen surrounded him, cutting off escape. Jak smirked: escape. That was the last thing on his mind. Jak caught the punch with his right hand and smashed his forehead into the nose of the Lurker. As it reeled back in pain, Jak hooked his left arm under the elbow and pulled. The result was the Lurker fell back as it passed out from pain due to the fact its arm was now bent in the opposite direction.

"Hey Jak, I remember these things. Their called Emissaries." Jak glanced at Daxter even as he kneed a second Lurker and threw it at a third, sending both of them off the mountain. "They were in that book about Lurkers." Jak thought as he used his palm to drive the nose of another Lurker into its brain, killing it instantly. He remembered the book they had nicked from Samos. Jak winced at the whack he had received for the one.

The ten remaining Emissaries flexed their hands and their claws extended an inch or so. Jak grinned; if they wanted to play with their toys, then he would play with his. He flipped the switch on his Yellow Eco Box and formed his familiar Blade.

Three charged from different directions; one in front to the left, another in front to the right and the last one from behind. Jak sliced the hands off the one on the left before delivering a sidekick into the one on his right. He spun his blade impressively before stabbing behind himself and skewering the seventh one to attack him.

All the remaining seven Lurkers roared and charged Jak. He recalled his Eco Blade and smashed the face f an Emissary that had leapt into the air. Another one swiped at him and Jak performed a back flip, catching the hand of the Lurker with his feet as he did so. As he smashed the Lurker into the ground, Jak spun in a circle and made slashing motions with his hands. The thin scythe-like shots of Yellow Eco cut through the flesh of the five Emissaries, all of which fell to the ground.

Jak trudged through the snow and jumped over a gap. A slight crunch made him spin around just in time to leap into the air. A creature about six feet tall that looked as though it was living ice charged underneath him. Jak recalled the name of these creatures: Hoarfrosts, if he remembered Carla correctly. It roared again and flexed its muscles. Foot long spikes shot out and the Hoarfrost charged again. Jak stood calmly still as he sidestepped, letting the beast run right off the cliff. As it realized what was happening, the Hoarfrost spun around, almost as if it was trying to run on the air back to Jak and Daxter, the latter of which waved goodbye genially as the Hoarfrost fell to its death.

Jak continued on his way, pausing to examine his surroundings after a while. There was something in the air, some sound that he couldn't quite place. As it got louder, Jak turned around and saw a snowball arguably six feet in circumference heading for him. Jak rolled to the side as it went barreling past him. Jak decided to find the source of these snowballs: if he found the resource for them he might be able to stop them. Jak ran up the path where the miniature avalanches were originating from, dodging to the left and right as he needed to. Up ahead and to the right he saw a reddish fire springing from the ground. According to his goggles, it was a Red Eco Vent. Jak thanked the Precursors (and a certain female mechanic he was fond of) for these goggles. Keira had improved them even more; now he could see the world how it really was. That was a huge improvement, since Jak needed to keep his face covered at all times.

Jak rolled and leaped over another snowball that was coming from up high on the mountain and landed in the Red Eco Vent, letting his body heat increase and his strength grow. He spotted an Emissary rounding a corner and followed, curious to see where it had gone. As he peered around the corner, he saw three Emissaries, a Hopper (a six inch bright gray Lurker that had razor sharp claws), and a six-foot tall Lurker with a wooden shield. The latter was in a wooden machine that had four wheels and a spring-loaded hammer in the middle. Said hammer was pounding away at a wall of ice through which barrels with the biological hazard sign could be seen. Jak realized that this must be the machine that the Lurkers were using to try to get to the frozen stores of Eco.

Jak turned on his Blue Eco Box and rushed in. All three of the Emissaries were hurled off the cliff before they even knew what was happening. Jak stomped on the Hopper so it wouldn't bother him and heard the Lurker in the machine get off behind him. Jak spun around and saw that this type of Lurker was higher than the General: it was a Sergeant. It raised its left arm and shot a ball of fire at Jak, who ducked and retaliated with a Yellow Eco Beam. The Sergeant stupidly brought its shield up, thinking it would help block. A volleyball-sized hole in its chest would prove otherwise.

Jak stepped over the smoking corpse and pried a Power Cell out of the machine: his fiftieth one. Jak continued on his merry little way and turned a corner. Both he and an Emissary started with surprise, except Jak recovered first. Walking past the now unconscious body, Jak came to abridge covered in ice. He looked over the side and gathered it would be a long fall if he didn't make it across. Jak stepped carefully on the bridge and began sliding. He jumped over the foot gap and landed, sliding even faster. He barely jumped the second gap in time and fell forward as his feet hit snow and stopped sliding.

Jak noticed how his face hadn't hit anything and opened his eyes. He stared into the cavern beneath him and stood up. He looked around and saw he was standing on a very thin pillar. There was another pillar in front of him, so Jak jumped to it. It started to crack a little, so he hastily leapt to another one to his left. This pillar just crumbled as he landed on it with no pretense. Jak jumped high in the air and just barely managed to catch his gloved hand on a fourth pillar ahead and to his right.

Jak started sideling across the side of the mountain after jumping to it. As he saw a turn coming up Jak suddenly plummeted to the ground. He quickly recovered and flew back up, making a mental note to not do that again. As Jak began the turn in the mountain, a funny noise caught his attention. It was a combination of slamming and crunching, and it appeared to be coming from a large crack in the mountain. Jak slipped through the crack and saw a room with another machine guarded by four Hoppers and an Emissary. After snapping the Emissary's neck, Jak fired thin beams of Yellow Eco around the room and by so doing, ended the lives of the Hoppers fairly efficiently. Jak took another Power Cell out of the machine and stored it in the bag. Daxter gave him a high five and Jak debated whether to continue in this course or to go outside and climb the mountain. He looked at Daxter, who went into a long-winded explanation about why he wanted to walk on solid ground. Jak shrugged and went through a hallway in the tunnel.

Twenty uneventful minutes later, Jak was starting to get bored. The most exciting thing that had happened for a while was him crossing another bridge cover in ice. At last he emerged outside. Jak looked around for a way to go, but saw nothing except a ledge six feet above him. Jak jumped up and pulled himself up the ledge. Now that he was actually on it, Jak saw there were about a dozen more. Three minutes was all it took for him to clear the last one.

Jak heard a snort and noticed two Emissaries, three Hoppers and two Sergeants heading for him. Nearby was another machine. Jak levitated it and sent it hurtling at the Lurkers that were rushing him, stepping aside and calmly taking the Power Cell out of it as it passed him. He did not bother to watch it fall down the mountain, choosing instead to step on the only Hopper he had missed. Jak crossed yet another bridge but was not as lucky this time around and wound up having to fly to the other side after falling through the fourth gap in it.

Jak looked around at his surroundings. He was in a dip between two peaks, and there was a cave about thirty feel up on one of the walls. He prepared to jump but stopped as a fireball went whizzing by his head. He turned around and saw five Sergeants glaring at him, shields raised and fireballs in their hands. He smiled and rushed them, leaping in the air as the fireballs left the Sergeants' hands. He thought disdainfully how they had all fired at him at once, instead of firing separately. As he landed, Jak summoned an Eco Blade and sliced through three Sergeants. The other two stood on opposite ends and unleashed a torrent of flames. Jak glanced at each one before jumping high in the air. He looked down and saw each Sergeant get fried by the others' attack.

He turned his Blue Eco Box on as he descended and flew into the cave. Instead of walking, Jak decided to simply fly through it, as he was sick of all the traps that the Lurkers and nature seemed to love springing on him. At the end of the cave was a platform. Jak stood on it and it began to rise. With a feeling of trepidation, Jak noticed that it was wide enough so that something fairly big could travel on it comfortably.

As the elevator neared the top, Jak and Daxter's sensitive noses picked up the mingled scents of dirt, sweat, and, unmistakably, blood. As the elevator stopped, Jak walked down a hallway that ended in a chamber thirty feet tall and about fifty feet in diameter. The Yeti was in the center, and it looked exactly how Daniel had described it: twenty feet tall. What Daniel had failed to mention were the ten-foot long arms, the foot long claws and fangs, and the fact that it was bulging with muscles.

It stared at Jak with milk white eyes and Jak felt this fight would be easy, seeing as how the Yeti was blind. As he ran at it, the Yeti calmly smacked him aside and into the wall. Jak considered retracting the assumption he had made as his body hit the wall. He let out a gasp of pain as the Yeti charged into his body and cracked a few ribs. He suddenly felt stronger and realized that the Yeti had accidentally flipped his Red Eco Box on.

Jak punched the creature in the face and then kicked it in the throat as he fell. Jak landed on he ground and healed his ribs while the Yeti staggered back and gasped for air. Jak assumed it was distracted and turned his Blue Eco Box on and charged, leaping in the air as he did so. As he made to punch the monster again, the Yeti clapped his hands together, catching Jak in the center like an insect.

Jak dropped to the ground and immediately rolled to the left to avoid a size 397 wide foot from landing on him, healing his body again as he did so. He rolled forward and landed on his feet, turning his Blue Eco Box on as the Yeti looked around for him. Jak crouched down and unleashed an uppercut across the Lurker's mouth, knocking a few teeth out as he landed on the top of its head. Jak turned off his Blue Eco Box and summoned his two Eco Blades. He held them upside down and brought his arms up, planning to shove them through the top of the Yeti's head and end the fight. Before he could, however, the Yeti jumped in the air and Jak was forced to abandon his plan and roll off to avoid become two-dimensional. He made sure to stick a blade in the arm of the Lurker as he fell. The Yeti let out a roar of pain and spoke, yet in a dialogue that Jak had never heard before.

"Kxuk xihk! Sasquatch nacc nad udt rosemo kxo Dark Sage'j don vulehako adjkout ev Klaww veh baccadw jkifat Channeler udt xaj jacco kucbadw huk!" (That hurt! Sasquatch will win and become the Dark Sage's new favorite instead of Klaww for killing stupid Channeler and his silly talking rat!)

Jak and Daxter shared looks of bewilderment as they wondered exactly what that meant. Daxter glanced at the Yeti and did a double take. He pointed at it and screamed for Jak to move. Jak looked and rolled forward just in time to avoid being transformed into Swiss Cheese. Ten black foot-long claws lay imbedded in the ground behind him. The Yeti pointed his fingertips at Jak and the claws at the end launched at Jak before instantly regenerating and launching again. Jak quickly fired blasts of Yellow Eco that cancelled the claws out. After firing twenty times he realized he would run out of Eco before the Yeti ran out of claws and decided to try something different.

Jak ran at the and formed two fists, leaving only his pointer and middle fingers extended. He Channeled Yellow Eco into them and brought each hand up to the opposite shoulder. Letting his arms fly out, an X-shaped blast cut through the claws that had been sent at him and sliced the Yeti in the chest, leaving a laceration about an inch deep to show for it.

Jak smiled as a screech tore its way from his adversary's throat. He leaped up when a blast of icy wind came out, but was not quite fast enough. As Jak landed he Channeled Red Eco into his body and felt the block of ice that encased his left shin melt away. Jak smirked at the stunned look on the Yeti's face and focused Red Eco into his hands.

He charged at the Yeti and was pleased that it did not react fast enough to prevent his next attack, something that Jak would make sure it paid dearly for. He leaped up and kneed the Yeti in the chest. As it gasped for breath, Jak started punching rapidly, his fists moving so fast that a spectator would not be able to discern one hand from the other.

As the Yeti was pushed back, Jak continued his relentless assault upon its chest. When the Yeti hit the wall, Jak used the last bit of Eco he had left to kick off from it, summoning an Eco Blade as he did so. The blade did not form completely however, because the Yeti had caught Jak's leg and pulled him back, taking care to smash Jak's head into the wall. Dazed, Jak dimly registered he was flying through the air before he smashed against another wall. Jak quickly healed his body and looked up for the Yeti.

Jak looked left, right, above him, but no matter where he looked, the Yeti was nowhere in sight. Ignoring Daxter boasting about how he had chased the Yeti away, Jak tried to get a sense of where it was. He knew this fight was far from over.

Jak was suddenly picked up and had his body squeezed. As he grunted against the invisible force he was hurled across the room. Jak picked himself up, only to be knocked back down and stepped on.

"Nxuk'j kxo mukkoh reo? Sud'k oei joo mo?" (What's the matter boy? Can't you see me?) A taunting voice resounded. Jak shot a blast at the source, but it collided only with the wall. Jak wracked his memory to try to figure out what was going on and then remembered that Daniel had said that the Yeti had the power to move through snow. Jak flipped his goggles down and put them into infrared mode. He saw a red mass heading for him and fired the last blast of Yellow Eco he had, dumping everything into one attack.

A roar confirmed the hit and Jak pulled his goggles off to see that Yeti against the wall with a hole in it's chest. Knowing he had only a few seconds of Eco left, Jak quickly levitated the ten claws he had not destroyed and sent them at the Yeti, piercing him with two claws in each of his limbs, once in his chest, and the last one in his head.

Jak wearily healed himself and decided he would have to be more careful: he was now completely drained of Eco.

"Oh yea! We rock! That's right!" Daxter joyously exclaimed. Jak grinned, but then fell to the ground unconscious. Daxter looked at Jak curiously before meeting a similar fate.

Two Lurkers materialized from thin air. One grabbed the unconscious Channeler and the other snatched the curious rat. Groaning, Jak opened his eyes to get a good look at his captors. "Chameleons..." was his last coherent thought before a foot smashed his face and knocked him out again.

* * *

Meanwhile, three Sergeants fell to the ground as a mysterious figure made his way to the Lurker Fort, his body healing the injuries it had received as he walked...

* * *

Sorry it took me so long. Went to the Jets-Dolphins game Sunday, so I didn't type anything then. Hope you enjoyed it, and that I didn't manage to mentally scar anyone. As always, leave all comments and complaints at the Review Desk and I will look them over. 


	16. A New Friend?

Red Mage 04- Daxter always does what he does best, that's a fact. Whether or not what he is best at is anything to be proud of is a different story. I'm glad you liked the battle, but it pales in comparison to the final showdown. I thought the image of Keira beating up one of the most powerful beings of all time would make you laugh. Imagine he beating Kage over the head with a saucepan. Now that's funny. As to who saves them, its not Keira, but and old friend.

animedragongirl- Yay! I got the paragraph thingies down. I am actually confident I didn't make any mistakes, I proofread and spell-checked and grammar-checked. And proofread. Anyway, all hail you, the one who has taught me more than any English teacher.

Lauren- It's rude to stare. It's not rude to gawk, so do that instead. I did not block you on AIM. My power source on my computer died, so I'm using the one my mom has. I decided to hell with the bodyguards, I'm going to inject myself with L Eco so I can make a shield. As for them kissing, don't hold your breath for it, but I did put in a little tidbit for you at the end, so enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own this. Copies of all three Jak games yes, but not the series itself. I can dream that I do though.

* * *

A New... Friend?

"Oh man. 'Did anyone catch the herd of Yakow that just trampled me?" Jak thought as he woke up. His left ear itched and he moved his right hand to get it. Or at least tried to. Jak looked to his right and saw his wrist bound to the wall by a metal ring. His other limbs were restrained in the same way. What was more, he felt freezing and noticed that his sweat clothes, his shirt, and Eco belt had all been striped off, leaving Jak in only his pants. As Jak struggled to break his bonds, a clamor of voices ahead of caught his attention and he looked up to see three Emissaries debating about something.

"Of course! I'm in the Lurker Fort! Those Chameleons must have snuck up behind me and knocked me out." Jak stopped moving, not wanting to draw attention to him, as he strained his ears to try to hear what the Lurkers were saying. Unfortunately, as with the Yeti, he couldn't make a word out.

"A juo no bacc xam hawxk den." (I say we kill him right now.) An Emissary growled as it gestured to Jak.

"No sud'k. No xuvo eih ehtohj vhem kxo tomed xohjocv. Xo'j evv-camakj. Homomroh jxo juad jxo neict bacc udoedo nxe khaot ke xihk xam?" (We can't. We have our orders from the demon herself. He's off-limits. Remember she said she would kill anyone who tried to hurt him?). A second snarled.

"Oou. A ted'k bden ureik oei, rik fohjeducco, A kxadb jxo neict zijk celo ke bacc oloho jadwco edo ev ij." (Yea. I don't know about you, but personally, I think she would just love to kill every single one of us.) The third one said in a low rumble.

"A ted'k suh! Zijk homomroh, A wok vahjk tarj ed xam!" (I don't care! Just remember, I get first dibs on him!) The first one roared. The other two stepped back; they had never seen their partner like this. The cell door opened and all three of them walked in. Two of them appeared quite calm, but the third one seemed to be restraining itself with extreme difficulty. Jak thought he saw something in its eyes snap an instant before it drew a hidden dagger and ran at Jak screaming "Tao oei rujkuht!" (Die you bastard!)

Jak closed his eyes and prepared his body for the penetration. When it didn't come, he opened his eyes. The Emissary was nowhere in sight, but a sickening smell of burnt flesh and hair was coming from somewhere. Jak saw smoke starting to rise from the floor and looked down to see the Emissary on the ground, dead.

"Kxuk adaek. A kect xam dek ke keisx kxo Channeler." (That idiot. I told him not to touch the Channeler.) A low husky voice said. Jak looked up and saw the demon that he had fought twice already flexing its hand, purple lightning dancing between the five-inch long claws. It glared at the two remaining Emissaries. "A xefo kxuk oei kne nacc jxen meho jocv sedchec kxud xo tat. Uvkoh ucc, kxo Dark Lord aj dek uj vehwaladw A um." (I hope that you two will show more self control than he did. After all, the Dark Lord is not as forgiving as I am.) It snarled. The other two looked very frightened and hastily stepped away from Jak, not wanting to be anywhere near him for fear of getting deep-fried.

The demon walked up to Jak and looked at him. Jak glared at it defiantly, determined not to give it the satisfaction of how disgusted he was that the demon had just killed a member of its clan. "Well, well. We _are_ the defiant one aren't we? Just wait," it sneered. "By the time I'm through with you, you'll wish you had never been born. But in the meantime, you look a little flushed. Why don't I let some air in?" The demon smirked sadistically as it stuck a fingernail through the wooden wall. It carved a hole in the wall and kicked the piece out, leaving a decent hole in the wall, through which snow and wind poured in, chilling Jak right down to the bone.

Jak hung for a while, trying to keep warm. Not helping was the fact that the two remaining Emissaries had lit a fire -being careful to do so in Jak's point of view- and were huddling around it, gloating. Jak growled at them and struggled to get out of his bonds, actions that only wore him out and provided the Emissaries with what they considered entertainment.

"Don't bother Jak," a voice that he was too familiar said. Jak looked to his left and saw Daxter sitting in a chair, bound by rope. Quite a lot of it was on the floor already. Jak smirked even in his weakened state at how Samos had always told Daxter to put his mouth to good use. It seemed that was exactly what Daxter had did. "Those things are metal. You wouldn't have a chance at breaking them, even Eco wouldn't give you much of an edge." Jak knew Daxter was right and just glowered, not at his friend, but at the current situation.

Suddenly, alarms started blaring. "Adkhitoh Ucaht!" (Intruder Alert!) The two Emissaries said to each other as they ran out of the room.

"Finally." Daxter wiggled a bit and the ropes around him fell to the ground. The rodent squeezed through the bars of his cell and climbed up the wall by sinking his claws into the wood. He grabbed a ring of keys in his mouth and slithered up the bars of Jak's cage like a snake. After unlocking Jak's door, Daxter started sifting through the keys to find the ones for the metal rings that were restraining Jak. Jak's vision dimmed as the cold began to get to him. When Daxter got him off, Jak crumpled to the ground, his lips blue and his body shaking uncontrollably. Summoning will he did not know he possessed, Jak stood up and walked out the door.

As Jak put his clothes on, he felt whatever unusual properties they had go immediately to work on restoring heat to his frozen and stiff body. He collapsed again and struggled to keep awake as he regained the feeling in his limbs. After five minutes of deep breathing, Jak stood up and reattached all his armor. Now that he was fully aware of his surroundings, Jak noticed that a commotion seemed to be getting closer. Jak debated with the notations that either Keira and Samos had come to rescue him, which was very unlikely considering they didn't know he had been captured, or something very unpleasant knew where he was and was going to try to kill him.

"Hey Jak, let's just get outta here. We'll get out the hole the demon carved in the wall. Idiot." Jak smiled at Daxter and bent down so Daxter could climb up his arm. He peered out the wall and was met with a sight he did _not_ want to see: a hundred-foot drop into the ocean. Whatever powers his clothes provided, Jak seriously doubted they would keep him warm in water colder than ice. He also had a sneaking suspicion that the clothes would just weigh him down and cause him to drown.

"Uh, yea, let's not do that," Daxter said nervously.

Jak looked at Daxter as if to say, "now what?"

"Uh, Plan B? We could fly Jak." Jak nodded and flipped on his Blue Eco Box. Or at least he put his hand to where the switch for his Blue Eco Box should have been. Jak looked down at his waist and saw that his Eco Box Belt was missing. Jak groaned as he realized the Lurkers had probably confiscated it and were going to use it against him.

Shouts behind the door drew his attention.

"Oei wioj touc nakx kxuk. A'cc biof ud ooo ed kxo jsimruw!" (You guys deal with that. I'll keep an eye on the scumbag!) A deep voice cried.

Jak and Daxter shared a nervous glance as they saw the door open. A single Lurker walked in, but somehow it felt familiar. It was five and a half feet tall, muscular, and covered in the same purple hair as the Scouts. It had a brown lion-cloth on and was wearing metal forearm armor much like Jak's. Jak assumed a combat stance and prepared to battle this Lurker with no powers. Adding to his anxiety were the eyes of the Lurker: they seemed to blaze with intelligence rather than the mindless blood lust like most of them. He growled and rushed in.

"Stop!" The Lurker said in a firm voice as it held its right hand out. Jak was so surprised at hearing a Lurker speak Elfish that he did just that. "Relax, I mean you no harm." Jak snorted in disbelief, however innocent he was, he wasn't fool enough to believe a Lurker.

"Since when do you freaks speak Elfish?" Daxter called at it.

"Since when do orange rats talk?" The Lurker retorted. "Listen, we have only three minutes, so we must be brief. I have come back to help you Jak." At Jak's disbelieving look, he chuckled. "Yes, we have met before. I am no longer full of rage at the world. My eyes were open to the truth of what I was getting into very recently. As a matter of fact it was right after you defeated me." Jak still had a look of utter disbelief on his face.

"Very well. Do you recall the incident on the dirigible a couple of weeks ago? In order to hit your switch you had to defeat a single Lurker that seemed to regenerate anything you threw at him." A flicker of recognition flashed through Jak's eyes and the Lurker smiled. "Yes that was I. You sent me flying off the ship and ripped all my limbs off. Not to mention punching a hole in my chest the size of a volleyball with that beam you sent at me." Jak's eyes widened as he recalled that day...

* * *

Jak charged at the Lurker and Channeled Blue Eco to increase his speed. He rammed the Lurker in the gut and forced it through the wall. As it fell, Jak Channeled Red Eco and put his fists together. He slammed his hands into the Lurker's skull and sent it plummeting to the ground. Jak then sent the rest of his Yellow Eco at to ensure that it was blasted into pieces. To ensure that the Lurker would die, Jak used his Blue Eco to increase the speed at which the Lurker fell.

* * *

"Yes I survived. My name is Wartstal and right after out little 'encounter,' my eyes were opened to the true nature of our leader. Let me tell you what happened."

* * *

The Lurker that had just gotten the crap royally beaten out of him groaned. A splatter of dark blood hit the ground as he coughed. Feeling his limbs grow back slowly, the Lurker began to crawl, but stopped at the sound of his boss.

"You idiot. I rescued you from death, and this is how you repay me?" Gol shrieked at his apprentice.

"I am sorry my master." The demon said as it crouched and sank into a very low bow.

"Not as sorry as you will be soon," Gol hissed. He extended his hands and purple lightning flew from them, coursing over the body of the demon. He watched without mercy or pity as his apprentice writhed on the ground, shrieking in pain. If anything, he intensified his attack, grinning manically as the skin started to peel off his tyro. He paused for an instant and then shot a solid beam of Dark Eco, punching a hole through the stomach of the smoking life form beneath him.

"There. Perhaps that will give you motivation the next time you engage Jak." Gol snarled. The Lurker's eyes widened as he realized that he could be next if Gol ever learned of his stunning failure.

(Three days later) The Lurker followed the elf referred Jak and the female to a lake. He watched the have fun and he realized that the company of elves treated each other with equality and respect rather than the fear and hatred associated with his ruler. Wartstal wondered whether or not he might persuade the band of elves to allow him to join with them...

* * *

"And that's what happened." Wartstal finished.

"I don't like this Jak. Do you think this guy's for real?" Daxter asked. As a response, Jak walked up to Wartstal and stared him right in the eyes. As hard as he tried, Jak could detect no falsehood within the Lurker's gaze. Slowly, Jak nodded.

"Good, because we are wasting time here standing around. Now, I have a plan that might just work. The guards told me that they would check in in three minutes. I think we have roughly one left. This is the plan. When they walk in, Jak, you must take your clothes back off and get back on the wall. I will close your locks until they look closed, but I shall leave them open. You will need to appear unconscious. Rat, I need you-"

"Daxter."

"Pardon me?"

"My name is Daxter."

"My sincerest apologies. Daxter, you will need to hang from the ceiling. When they walk underneath you, I need you to drop down and distract them. That will give me and Jak the time we need to dispose of them."

"Don't you feel bad for killing your own kind?" Daxter asked in disbelief. Wartstal smiled bitterly.

"I am no longer a Lurker from the instant that I decided that you did not have to die." Jak put his hand on the Lurker's shoulder and smiled sympathetically. Wartstal smiled back. Everyone quickly got into his or her positions. No sooner did Wartstal prop a rock against Jak's cell door so it looked closed did two Sergeants walked in.

"Hofihj!" (Report!)

"Kxo Channeler'j ideidjsaeij." (The Channeler's unconscious.)

"Nxuho'j kxo huk?" (Where's the rat?) One of them asked, pointing to the chair where Daxter used to be sitting.

"Nxuk huk?" (What rat?) Wartstal asked, feigning confusion.

"Kxo edo kxuk nuj ad kxuk sxuah!" (The one that was in that chair!) Both of the Sergeants roared in unison.

"A, A ted'k bden." (I, I don't know.) Wartstal said uncertainly. The two Sergeants inspected the corners of the room and eventually made their way near the hole in the wall. Wartstal ran at them and delivered two swift kicks to their backs. He watched as they fell into the ocean and then he turned around and saw Jak dressed already.

"Well, that was easier than expected. Now we must make it down Snowy Mountain. It will be difficult, but once we get to Flurry Conurbation, the rest of the Lurkers won't have enough courage to take the town on without their Yeti to lead them." Jak shook his head and pointed at his belt. Then he made slashing motions with his hands as if he was holding a sword. Wartstal raised an eyebrow questioningly. Daxter rolled his eyes at what he considered Wartstal's stupidity.

"First we gotta get our boy here his Eco Belt back so he can dish out some ass-bruisin'. And we gotta get the Eco Sabers that you guys took from Alecis' house."

"Eco Saber's hmm? I don't know anything about those, I'm not a high enough ranking officer for me to know things like that. But the Eco Boxes. Gol wasn't stupid enough to think that you wouldn't try to escape. He separated the boxes and positioned a guard over each one. If we split up we should be able to find all of them faster. I'll give you a map of the fortress so you can find your way around." Wartstal drew a map in the snow on the floor and pointed out the boxes. Jak pointed to the Blue and Yellow Boxes, since he had enhanced powers in those categories.

"All right. We each get two Boxes and then meet back here," he said, pointing at a point near an armory. "But once the Lurkers discover that I'm helping you, it will be a battle to recover the Eco Sabers. Not to mention getting off this mountain." Jak nodded and grabbed Daxter. The three of them snuck out of the room, heading off in separate directions.

"Do you really think we can trust him?" Daxter whispered as Jak kicked a ventilation shaft in. Jak nodded as he crawled in and replaced the covering behind him. "Well, okay. But I don't trust him just yet." Jak rolled his eyes at his diminutive friend.

"C'mon Jak, don't you think that his story sounded urf-" Jak quickly silenced his companion as some Emissaries walked underneath the section that Jak was hiding in. He threw his friend a sharp look that clearly said be quiet. Daxter nodded slowly and Jak removed his hand. He cautiously emerged from the tunnel and looked around. He appeared to be quite alone in this room, which was fairly big. Boxes with a giant red label on them were stacked everywhere, making Jak suspect that they had something to do with Dark Eco. Pausing to look at a map that showed the location of the Yellow Eco Box, Jak slapped himself; he had somehow managed to go in the opposite direction that he needed.

"Oh perfect. If you can't even keep your bearings in a ventilation shaft, I can only imagine how screwed up we're going to get when we go through Spider Caves." Jak ignored this jibe from Daxter, but a small part of him personally agreed. Daxter saw the momentary flicker of sorrow and regret in Jak's eyes and immediately started to try to cheer Jak up. "Sorry about that Jak. C'mon, remember that time you found a way out of that cavern that I fell into on your ninth birthday?" Jak nodded as he remembered how Daxter had screamed like a little girl at the sight of a scorpion. Daxter guessed at what Jak was thinking.

"Hey, think what you want buddy, but I was, uh, practicing my opera singing that day. Didn't you catch the performance?" Jak glared at Daxter, who remembered the incident with the Wump-Bee's Nest that had followed shortly after Jak had saved Daxter. "Sorry about that. I forgot about the whole thing."

"Yea right. Trust me Daxter, _you_ wouldn't have forgotten if it was you who fell into that nest and gotten hives the size of Wumpa fruit all over your body." Jak thought as he opened a door and dashed through the hallway. Nothing happened as Jak made his way quietly through the Fort. Jak wasn't if he should be happy or worried about this. On the one hand, the lack of traps was definitely something to be happy about, but he also wondered if maybe the Lurkers didn't have some other kind of plan and were just luring him into a false sense of security.

After ten minutes of sneaking around, Jak came to a different type of door. It had a small metal pad next to it with nine buttons. Jak pulled on the handle of the door, but it wouldn't open.

"Fcoujo odkoh josihako fujjneht." (Please enter security password.) A rough voice said from the other side of the door.

"Huh?" Daxter asked before Jak could keep him quiet. The door burst open and Jak ducked to avoid a blast of fire as a Sergeant advanced on him, his shield in one hand and his fireball gun in the other. As the Sergeant took aim, Jak leaped into the air and contorted his body to avoid another blast. He seized the gun in the Sergeant's hand and crushed it. Both Red and Yellow Eco spilled out and wrapped around Jak's body.

Jak grabbed his head as almost unbearable waves of pain washed over his body. Beams of Yellow Eco shot off in random directions as Jak struggled not to lose himself to the pain. He knew that falling asleep would only mean recapture and torture at the hands of the demon. One of the beams shot clear through the Sergeant's skull, effectively killing it. Jak's legs gave out as the beams started to get weaker. Red Eco made his body glow with a crimson aura, an aura that gave off such an enormous amount of heat that the floor began to burn away to ash and the ceiling turned black. At last, after an eternity, the pain began to subside. Jak shakily got to his feet and wondered what that had been about. Then he remembered Samos' words of wisdom from long ago.

"Jak, you must never attempt to Channel more than one type of Eco at a time. The strain it would put on your body might prove to be too much."

"No kidding," Jak thought to himself. "If less than an Orb's amount of Eco did that, I don't wanna think about what would happen if two of my Eco Boxes were turned on at the same time."

"Jak? Are you okay?" Daxter's concerned voice cut through Jak's thoughts and he looked down at his friend. He nodded and Daxter scurried up Jak's legs and torso before coming to rest on his shoulder. Jak gave his friend a reassuring wink before he went through the door that the Sergeant had been guarding. An Emissary walked by the hallway Jak was in without so much as glancing down it. Jak quietly followed it to a door with another red warning sign on it. Jak snapped the Emissary's neck and grabbed a knife that was around its waist. Jak strapped it to his own and peered through a window. He saw a new Lurker type with a small yellow jewel embedded in its chest. Feeling that the element of surprise might be an element that would tip the odds in his favor, Jak simply kicked the door down.

The Lurker reacted instantly and it fired a beam of Yellow Eco right at Jak. He was so overcome with surprise at seeing a Lurker use an Eco-based attack that he forgot about the forearm armor he had. He ducked and turned around to see the blast stop in midair. Jak rolled to the side as the blast shot back at him and a black spot on the floor marked the spot where he had been just a second ago. Jak looked back at his foe just in time to see it fire another beam at him. Jak vaulted into the air and aimed a kick at the Lurker's chest. The Lurker back-flipped and Jak's foot sank through the wood, leaving him trapped.

Another beam went flying at Jak, who raised his armor this time. The Yellow Eco rebounded off the metal and went right back at the source. The Lurker simply stuck its hand out and the beam turned into a ball about a foot away from its body. As it went back to Jak, the strangest idea occurred to him; the Lurker could not only use Yellow Eco, it could also manipulate the blast that it sent at him.

As Jak dodged another blast, he saw the jewel in the Lurker's chest glow brighter. Jak quickly deducted that the jewel in the Lurker's trunk was the source of its power. Jak wondered whether or not he might be able to gain some power from it if he touched the jewel. Quickly using a combination of jumping, twirling and rolling to get close to his opponent, Jak placed his right hand on the jewel and was surprised to feel it was cold and metal. His eyes widened as he realized that the jewel was in fact his Yellow Eco Box, and that it had been surgically implanted into the chest of the Lurker.

With a roar, the Lurker formed an Eco Blade of its own and the Yellow Eco Box in its chest became dull as the last of its power was siphoned away. The Lurker ripped it out of his chest and charged Jak, who responded eagerly. As the Lurker swung its sword down, Jak came up to block it. The Lurker altered its course slightly so that Jak was forced to bring up his forearm armor in time to prevent Daxter from getting an unscheduled haircut. Jak brushed Daxter off his shoulder so no harm would come to him as he once again blocked another vertical slash.

Daxter watched from a corner of the room as the two engaged in swordsmanship, trying to find the attack that would be the end of their enemy. The Lurker blocked a jumping slash from Jak and split his sword into two golden spheres. He sent two beams of Yellow Eco at Jak, who ducked under them and rushed in. He swung his sword so fast that it appeared little more then a scythe, but the Lurker still managed to dodge it.

Jak spun around as the Lurker did a front-flip over his body. As it landed, the Lurker stuck its arms out and the two beams that he had sent at Jak curved around and became spheres in his hands once more. Re-forming its Eco Blade, the monster charged Jak once again. Jak ducked, dodged and parried all of the oncoming attacks, but a small piece of his mind set aside that particular technique the Lurker had just shown him.

Jak struck aggressively at his opponent, his sword coming in from the right on level with the Lurker's throat. The monster's blade leapt up to intercept his strike and swatted it away. Deciding to go with that momentum, the Channeler spun around; copying a move he had done against Kazan. With blinding speed, he completed his rotation, coming in with a relatively low angle of attack, intending to cut his adversary's feet out from underneath him. Unfortunately, his sword connected with little more than air, as the Lurker had back flipped out of the way.

Jak waited patiently as the Lurker landed and skidded backwards before rushing back to try its hand at the offensive. Jak noticed that while the Lurker's strength was great, its speed was not enhanced beyond that of an elf's, which was a weakness Jak intended to take full advantage of.

The Lurker roared in frustration as a downward chop that would have split Jak in half (had it connected) was intercepted. Jak forced his adversary's blade down and away to the left, before bringing his right foot up and smashing it into the Lurker's face. The Lurker staggered backwards, his nose broken, black blood dripping down his face. As Jak rushed in to take advantage of this, he went into a flurry of attacks, his blade a blur as it hacked, struck, and thrust. From the corner where he was hiding, Daxter cheered as he watched his friend's momentum become nearly unstoppable.

The Lurker growled in frustration as Jak's combos nearly shattered its defenses. It found itself desperately blocking and evading, unable to get a strategy going beyond trying to keep all of its limbs attached to its body.

But eventually Jak scored a hit, his sword slipping through the Lurker's raised blade to draw a line of blood from its left side all the way up to his right collar bone as the Lurker tried to leap back to avoid the stroke. Still, even as it hissed in pain, the Lurker considered itself lucky; the damage was not nearly as bad as it could have been had the blow hit home completely.

Snarling once again, it leaped at his opponent, bringing his Eco Blade down from above with all its strength. Jak once again called upon a technique from his battle with Kazan. This performance, however, was one that Kazan had used against him. Jak gripped his sword with two hands, one on the end of the grip, the other upon the end of the blade itself, and held it horizontally, and succeeded in not only blocking the Lurker's strike, but threw it back into the air, where it came in for a rather uncoordinated landing nearly ten feet away.

Immediately, the Lurker rolled backwards, and jumped back up to his feet, and was scarcely able to avoid being skewered, as Jak had planted his blade in the ground where the Lurker had been mere moments before. Even so, the Lurker's split second distraction as he gained his balance enabled his opponent to get behind him. Realizing the severity of the situation too late to correct it, the vile beast felt its feet be knocked out from underneath him by the use of a sweep kick.

As the Lurker began another trip to the ground, Jak finished spinning around, and came up to slam his kneecap into the Lurker's back hard enough for the bone to shutter from the impact. The blow also succeeded in driving the breath from his lungs. The Lurker's breathing situation did not improve at all when he hit the stone floor, nor did what follow help at all either. For, as his back had been dealt that powerful blow, the Lurker had lost its grip upon its Eco Blade, and Jak had quickly grabbed it before it dissipated into thin air. Jak poised over it for one eternal moment, before plunging both blades down into his gut. Jak viciously sliced upwards with one blade at the same time he cut downwards with the other sword.

After slicing his opponent in half, Jak went over to the Yellow Eco Box and thrust both swords into it. The Box absorbed the power, just as Jak had predicted it would, and Daxter came out of the corner where he had been directing the whole scene. Jak found a metal clip on a table nearby and fastened one end to his waist and the other half to the Yellow Eco Box, seeing as how his belt was no more.

* * *

Wartstal casually strolled through the hallways, nodding and saluting every Lurker he came across. He knew he had to act perfectly nonchalantly as he made his way towards the chamber where the Red Eco Box was. Wondering what Gol could possibly want it for, Wartstal walked in. He gulped nervously as a Lurker Scorpion hissed at his entrance.

"Nxuk uho oei teadw ad xoho?" (What are you doing in here?) The Scorpion hissed.

"A nuj jodk ke hokhiolo kxo Hot Eco Rep no sedvajsukot vhem kxo jsimruw Channeler." (I was sent to retrieve the Red Eco Box we confiscated from the scumbag Channeler.) Wartstal responded smoothly. The reaction that he got was one that displeased him greatly.

"Oei opfosk mo ko rocaolo kxuk? Ak nuj jihwasucco amfcudkot ad mo reto idkac kxo Dark Lord semoj ke scuamo ak. Fohjeducco. A bdon oei noho nohbadw nakx kxo Channeler Wartstal, udt den ak aj kamo veh ke tao!" (You expect me to believe that? It was surgically implanted inside my body until the Dark Lord comes to claim it. Personally. I knew you were working with the Channeler Wartstal, and now it is time for you to die!) The Scorpion said, its voice rising with every word as it rushed towards him.

"No jxucc joo ureik kxuk!" (We shall see about that!) Wartstal retaliated as he assumed a fighting stance.

"No jxucc adtoot." (We shall indeed.)

The Scorpion brought its tail down with enough force to embed it in the floor. Wartstal leaped up and ran up the stinger. As the Scorpion freed the end of its tail, Wartstal grabbed the lethal endpoint and jumped to the ground behind the Scorpion. Roaring, Wartstal flipped the Scorpion over his shoulder by the tail and slammed it onto the ground. The fight was far from over, however, as a casual flick sent Wartstal flying backwards and landing implanted in the wall.

Ignoring the pain, knowing he would heal, Wartstal dashed forward with a deceptive amount of speed and jumped up to avoid the tail again. He smirked and landed on the back of the Scorpion, trying to shatter its exoskeleton. His efforts were futile, as a claw reached behind the Scorpion's limited view and sliced one of Wartstal's arms off. He howled with pain as a new limb grew, and he hastily took the armor of his old arm and refitted it onto his new one.

Wartstal picked up the now useless appendage on the floor and squeezed it at the part where it had been connected to his shoulder. Black blood spurted out directly into the Scorpion's eyes. As the creature wailed in pain, Wartstal took advantage of its temporary blindness and rushed forward.

Two well places slashes gouged the Scorpion's eyes right out, and a few more separated the Scorpion's head from the rest of its body. As blood oozed out of the giant hole in its neck, Wartstal stuck his arm into the body of his now dead adversary. After feeling around for a few minutes, Wartstal retracted his arm with a triumphant grin. In his right hand was the fruit of his victory: the Red Eco Box. Wartstal stored it in a pouch he had around his waist and washed his hands off in a sink. The last thing he needed was to be blamed for the Red Eco Box's guardian's death.

* * *

"A veidt kxo Channeler!" (I found the Channeler!) Jak and Daxter whirled around as a Lurker Emissary stood in the doorway. "Xo'j ad" (He's in-) The Emissary's rant was cut short, due to the fact that Jak had throw the knife he had taken off the Lurker before and the blade was now sticking out of the Lurker's throat.

"C'mon Jak, we still gotta find your Blue Box and the Eco Sabers." Jak nodded and he took off through the hallway. He paused at the sound of voices around the corner and summoned an Eco Blade. Jak barrel-rolled around the corner and cut the feet out from three Emissaries that had not reacted fast enough. Jak swept a Sergeant off his feet as he pivoted around and when he rose up, Jak jumped and delivered double sidekicks to two other Sergeants.

Jak recalled his blade and continued on his way, many other Lurkers meeting a similar fate. Jak finally made it to the place where Wartstal said his Blue Eco Box resided. He peered in and a horrible sight met his eyes. The Lurker 's had apparently discovered how his Box worked, because several of them were building new ones. Jak burst in through the door and summoned two Eco Blades. Quickly slicing all of them down, Jak stacked all of the incomplete Eco Boxes next to each other and melted them. Jak scooped his originally Blue Eco Box up and went past the puddle of slag.

"Hey Jak. What is that thing?" Daxter asked. Jak looked where Daxter was pointing and saw a green orb lying on a table. He went closer and saw it was about the size of volleyball and was forged of Precursor metal. Jak picked it up off the table and stored it in his backpack; if it had to do with the Precursors, then he should keep it away from the Lurkers and give it to Samos. "Nice job Jak! Now all we gotta do is meet up with our good ol' pal." Jak nodded and kicked a ventilation shaft in. He crawled through and approached where the meeting place was. He heard two deep voices arguing back and forth in Elfish and decided, against Daxter's better judgment, to check it out.

* * *

Wartstal pushed the door of the room where the Green Eco Box dwelled. He groaned when he saw that Gol's apprentice was waiting guarding it. Judging by the way she didn't even seemed surprised at his entrance; Wartstal assumed that she had been waiting for him.

"Surprised to see me, traitor?" she asked offhandedly.

"Not really. I knew that you were kissing Gol's ass in order to become his apprentice, but I didn't know you had been promoted to wiping it too."

"Why you insolent little..."

"What's the matter? Can't think of a good insult?"

"Fine. I'll just rip you apart!" The demon bellowed as it lunged for him.

Wartstal flipped backwards as the demon slashed at him wildly, parrying and blocking quite calmly. His actions did little more than aggravate the demon: she let out an incoherent bellow of rage, only to grab her throat when Wartstal kicked her in the neck. She snarled as he ran in for the kill, his claws extended, and shot a blast of lightning at him.

Pain far worse than having a hole punched through your chest gripped Wartstal as the Dark Lightning attack traveled over his body and burned his skin. He screamed as the corrupted power ran through his body, twisting and destroying everything it touched.

"There. Maybe now you won't go off and unite with the filthy elves." The demon spat at him. Miraculously, Wartstal smiled.

"What's the matter? Can't stand the fact that _you_ were once a 'filthy elf' Escuro?" The demon called Escuro shrieked in rage and surprise.

"How dare you bring that up? I'll kill you!" She screeched as she extended her wrist katana on her left arm. She swung downward, planning to decapitate Wartstal.

"Ah, well..." Wartstal sighed as the blade closed in. After five seconds or so of not dying, Wartstal looked up and saw Jak, quite literally his knight in shining armor. He had used his Eco Blade to intercept the sword and halt it. Wartstal looked up at his savior and saw his eyes shining with a mixture of rage and compassion. Jak swung upwards and caused Escuro to lose her defensive position and he shot a beam of Yellow Eco at her chest. It did not, as he had planned, blasted a hole right through, but it did at least cause the skin to burn.

"You'll need more power than that to stop me boy," Escuro called as she retracted her blade and shot a blast of Dark Lightning at him. Jak angled his sword and the attack rebounded right back at her. She proved to have reflexes quicker than even her mentor, as she simply extended her and the lightning became a ball of dark energy.

Jak raised his left arm and the beam of Dark Eco Escuro sent at him degenerated into nothing. Jak called his own blade back and flipped his Blue Eco Box on instead. He rushed in and began melee fighting with his enemy. After dodging three punches, the demon extended her wrist blade. Jak ducked underneath it and grabbed her arm. Jak snapped the blade off her wrist and then snapped her arm.

Wailing, Escuro jerked back and disappeared in a puff of black smoke. Jak glared at the spot where she had been before turning around to examine Wartstal. To Jak's surprise, Wartstal was standing with a grim smile on his face, looking tired and out of breath, but whole.

"Good job Jak." Wartstal said between gasps of breath. "She won't be returning to bother you for a while. And I imagine Gol won't be too pleased with her for losing to you again." He added with a forbidding smile. Jak walked over to the pedestal where his Green Eco Box sat and strapped it to his chest next to the other three.

"Did you at least manage to get one of the boxes? I mean, your not going to be much use to us if we're always going to be saving your ass." Daxter commented to Wartstal. Jak stared at his friend: that was a bit harsh. Wartstal effectively translated Jak's next thought into words as he handed Jak the Red Eco Box.

"I think this is a perfect example of 'the pot calling the kettle black.' How many times has Jak saved you?"

"None, I've been the one that's been saving him."

"You have not, I saw you quivering in fear the entire time."

"Hey, that was"

Jak had had quite enough of this bickering at this and he thought that shooting a beam of Yellow Eco through the roof would get their attention. By a gigantic stroke of luck, it did. Both Daxter and Wartstal stopped arguing with each other and looked sheepishly at Jak. Jak pointed to a map on the wall and Wartstal went and got it. Smoothing it out on the table, Wartstal watched as Jak traced a route to a room that seemed to be hidden behind the armory.

"Why do we need to go there Jak? We got the Eco Boxes, so can't we get outta this place already?" Daxter whined. Jak shook his head and summoned his Eco Blade again.

"Oh right, we need to get the Eco Sabers that they took. But how did you know they were there?" Wartstal asked. Jak pointed to the room again and traced the outline. Wartstal looked closer and he saw that there were no entrances to that hidden room, which meant that it was the likeliest place for the Lurker to hide the Sabers.

"All right, let's go steal some shit!" Daxter exclaimed as he got on Jak's shoulder. "Wait a minute. How are we gonna get Jak to the armory. Every Lurker, well, all but one of them," Daxter added, looking at Wartstal, "wants Jak dead."

"I actually had a brainstorm about that." Wartstal said with a smile.

"Well, what is it?" Daxter asked, his eyes bright and shining. Jak was staring at Wartstal with mild interest as well. As Wartstal explained the plan, Daxter shook his head violently.

"Well? What do you think?" Wartstal asked. A small part of Jak had to admit that it was a good idea, but it was just so... degrading. He looked at Daxter.

"No way in Foretaste, Legatee, or Weyard Jak. That's just so... degrading." Jak agreed, but upon further reflection, he realized that it was the easiest way. He nodded to Wartstal and turned around. As he and Daxter got out the door, Wartstal made a sudden movement towards Jak.

Jak turned around too late to prevent Wartstal from tying his hands and feet together. As Jak struggled to keep his balance, Wartstal pushed him over and Jak fell on the ground. Wartstal stuffed a ball of material in Daxter's mouth and shoved him in Jak's backpack. He then finished the jobs by tying Jak's limbs so tight to his body that the circulation got cut off.

* * *

(Later)

"Xuck! Nxoho uho oei kubadw kxo Channeler?" (Halt! Where are you taking the Channeler?) A Sergeant guarding the armory asked.

"Kxo Dark Lord xuj kxuk kxo Channeler'j cavo aj ke ro kohmadukot. Ammotaukco. Udt xo xuj ehtehot mo ke te ak ucedo." (The Dark Lord has requested that the Channeler's life is to be terminated. Immediately. And he has ordered me to do it alone.) Wartstal replied, puffing his chest out proudly.

"Kxod nxo tat oei rhadw eik ev fhajed?" (Then why did you bring him out of prison?)

"Xo ojsufot udt A fhokodtot ke re xaj vhaodt. A bdesbot xam eik, kaot xam if, udt A xulo tosatot ke bacc xam ijadw kxo Eco Jurohj kxuk no xulo xattod roxant kxo uhmeho." (He escaped and I pretended to be his friend. I knocked him out, tied him up, and I have decided to kill him using the Eco Sabers that we have hidden behind the armory.)

"To oei bden kxo fujjneht?" (Do you know the password?)

"De. Kxo Dark Lord covk roveho A seict ujb xam. Nxuk aj ak?" (No. The Dark Lord left before I could ask. What is it?)

"Jamfco. Magiola." (Simple. MAGIOLA.)

"Kxudb oei." (Thank you.)

Wartstal walked past the guard with Jak slumped over his shoulder and closed the door. He quickly drew a knife and approached Jak with it. Jak woke up to the sight of Wartstal coming at him with a knife. Wartstal slashed downward right through the rope binding Jak, who leapt up immediately and glared at Wartstal.

"What? Oh yea, sorry about banging your head on the wall and knocking you out. We must work fast before someone realizes what we're up to. You look for a part of the wall with letters on it." Jak saluted and Wartstal walked up to the door. Edging it open ever so slightly, he drew a knife and stabbed the Sergeant in the back of the head. Before the body slumped over, Wartstal caught it and positioned it so that anyone passing by would think that the Sergeant was still on duty. Going back inside, he saw Jak and Daxter hovering near a series of boxes.

"What are you guys doing? We need to find the hidden entrance." Jak pointed at the boxes. Each of them had a letter on it, and in the back of each one was a button. Wartstal congratulated Jak on his ingenuity and pressed them in the order the Sergeant had instructed him. A hidden panel opened in the wall and all three of them entered. In the center of the plain room was the box full of the Eco Sabers Samos had told them about.

Jak reached for one, but the instant he had touched one, alarms started blaring. "Shit," Wartstal and Daxter said at the same time.

"There's no way we'll be able to move all of them out of here now: the guards will be along any moment. How many can we fit in your backpack Jak?" Jak thought a second before holding up nine fingers. "All right. That's how many we'll take then." After cramming nine in Jak's backpack, Wartstal activated one and they marveled at it. A shaft of metal shot out about two feet before being surrounded with green light.

"Wow," Daxter breathed. Wartstal swung it experimentally a few times before turning to Jak.

"Let's go." Jak nodded and summoned two Eco Blades to assist Wartstal. Just as Wartstal had predicted, getting out of the fortress was hell. But as the swarm of Lurkers that entered the room found out, Wartstal was very skilled with a sword. This, when combined with the fact that a Channeler of nearly Sage-like proportions, made for an infinitely deadly combo.

After about five minutes, Jak and Wartstal had finally managed to kill all the Lurkers that had entered the armory. Even still, Jak seriously doubted that they were the only living things inside the fortress. He formed his Eco Blades into spheres, planning on using long distance instead of melee fighting.

As more Lurkers swarmed on the group on their way out, Jak peppered them with Yellow Eco blasts about the size of cherries while Wartstal sliced through anything stupid enough to get close. At last, after killing countless amounts of Lurker's, Jak and Wartstal arrived at the front gate.

"Would you like to do the honors Jak?" Wartstal asked as he stepped aside. Jak grinned and Channeled Red Eco into his entire body. With one kick, he shattered the front doors and they saw a gondola that looked like it was leading back to Snowy Conurbation.

"But but but... how is this possible? We came up this way!" Daxter exclaimed. Jak turned around and saw that the Lurkers had disguised the Fort to look exactly like a mountain, which was why they had walked right past it. As Jak and Wartstal walked towards the gondola, Daxter shouted out.

"We can't go yet. We gotta find the key to the Green Eco Temple." Jak groaned: he was tired, hungry, and getting a little cold. Wartstal noticed the orb on Jak's back and asked to see it. Jak pulled it out and Wartstal clapped his hands together.

"Don't worry guys. This _is_ the key to the Green Eco Temple. I should know. I found it. I planted it in the fort planning to go back later and get it, but you guys saved me some time in that respect. Shall we go?" Jak nodded and they all went on the gondola, passing out as it made its way slowly but steadily back to the town.

"There you are Jak! How did you make out?" Jak gave him a thumb's up while Daxter immediately launched into a tale about how Jak had gotten captured and "he" had busted Jak out, found everything they needed, killed and entire tribe of Lurkers and carried Jak down the mountain single-handedly.

"So, anything unusual happen?" Samos inquired. Jak nodded and whistled with his fingers. Wartstal stepped into the house, eliciting a scream from Keira and causing Samos to grab his staff.

"Wait, I mean you no harm." Wartstal said quickly. Samos and Keira looked stunned, but their expressions of shock were nothing compared to what they looked like at the end of his tale. Jak nodded as Wartstal finished.

"Well then, it appears that we have fared better than I had hoped. Now, Wartstal, Jak, what would you say to a nice hot meal. Keira and I just finished preparing a stew. Would you like to join us?" Both of them nodded and all four of them went onto the kitchen. Jak and Keira sat down at the table while Samos and Wartstal went back into the living room to discus stopping Gol.

As Jak ate, Keira gazed shyly at him. Jak finished his meal and stood up. Keira walked up to him and hugged him fiercely. Surprised, it was some time before Jak reacted and held her closer to him.

"I was so worried about you Jak. I thought you might have gotten hurt up there." Keira said, tears leaking out of her eyes. Jak wiped them away and smiled at her before kissing her on the forehead. He chucked her under the chin and went into his room. He then took his armor and belt off and collapsed on the bed, his mind floating away.

Meanwhile, Keira stood still, her hand pressing lightly where Jak had kissed her. The fact of it sank in and she grinned broadly as she went back to the Zoomer to make sure she had fully repaired it.

* * *

Elsewhere... Gol and Maia were discussing their plans to open the Silos.

"So, sister, he has gone to their side?"

"Yes brother, it appears Wartstal has betrayed us and is now helping the old Green Sage."

"Ah well, I knew he would eventually."

"How long do you think it will take for Alecis, Santar and Zeorro to finish our, 'project'?"

"It's hard to say. Without Tarea and Potentia, it will take about a year. If we can persuade the other two to join us, then we could be ready within six months."

"By then the whelp might have reached us."

"So what? You should know sister, none can oppose our will. I intend for Jak to make it all the way to out Citadel. Once he is here, we will destroy everything he holds dear. That will teach him not to defy the will of Dark Eco."

* * *

"So, it is settled then Wartstal?" Samos asked.

Wartstal nodded. "We must go to the Green Eco Temple, through the Spider Caves, and then to the Desert Goliath. You say that is the path we should stick to?"

"Yes, from there it should be relatively simple and quick to reach Gol's Citadel in time to stop him."

* * *

Yes, well, I realize many of you (and by that I mean the three people whose lives I haven't traumatized with unmitigated crap) are hurling shoes, RPG's money (all right) and ballistic missiles at me. Please, I want to live! At least long enough for my clone to reach seventeen years of age, then your free to blow me away. Anyway, I actually managed to update on time for once. To all of those that read, sorry for wasting your time. To all of those that reviewed, thank you very much. If there is anything you would like to share, please do, I will answer any questions, use (almost) any idea, and reply to any comment. Until next Sunday then, adios! 


	17. The Stage is Set

Red Mage 04- Your guess is absolutely... 100 percent... right. Ha, bet you though I was gonna say wrong huh. Yea, I changed the demon's name from what I originally gave you, but she won't be showing up for a while after today. Thank you for the compliment on the fight scenes, and as to the e-mail you sent me, I did not receive it. My computer is on el fritzo again. Yes, Gol and Maia are arrogant but they are also Sages, so you must forgive them. In case you're wondering on just how powerful I'm going to make them, Jak only won because of sheer luck on Misty Island. Let me know if you receive an e-mail, because I thought up some new powers, not to mention I have something you should see. 

animedragongirl- I try to update regularly, but sometimes I don't do it until Monday. This is only up so early because it was my birthday today, and I fugured I could give you all a gift. YES! I have the paragraph thing down. -Parties uncontrollably- I'll take that interruption tip you gave me a place in my empty head, don't worry. I like gym personally, but I hope you don't have it.

Disclaimer- Interesting theory. If I owned Jak, it wouldn't exist after the first game, because I would have made it like this and it would have died shortly after.

* * *

The Stage is Set

After breakfast the next day, the group prepared to warp back to Volcanic Crater. "I think it is best if I do not let anyone from town see me." Wartstal commented. "If I were to be seen with you, there is no doubt the town would no longer welcome you with open arms."

"I agree. There is a section of Santar's home that is quite secluded. You will be able to stay there without any difficulty." Wartstal bowed and thanked the group once more for their hospitality. Keira smiled and said it was no trouble, after helping Jak escape from the bastion; she was quite indebted to him.

"So Keira, I was thinkin' that after we get back, you and I should take a little stroll through town by ourselves." Keira rolled her eyes at Daxter's new attempt at coming onto her.

"Rule number one Dax, I don't date animals. How many times am I gonna have to tell you that?"

"At least once more baby. Like always. Besides, I'm only an animal on the inside. And in certain other areas. Such as-"

"So Jak," Keira smiled as she held a hand over Daxter's mouth, "How many Eco Sabers did you guys get?" Jak held up ten fingers. Keira grinned; even though the Lurkers had a vast amount of them, having even ten would give them a serious edge.

"All right enough conversation." Samos said sternly. "We need to get back to Volcanic Crater so we can plan out next move." Everyone nodded and hopped through the Warp Gate.

Jak helped Keira up: she had tripped over Daxter when she had come out of the Warp Gate. "Thanks Jak." He grinned at her and smirked when Samos managed to land on his feet for once, only to be knocked over when Wartstal came and bumped into him. After rapping Daxter with his staff, Samos called everyone to the main table and pulled out the map that Jak had given him.

"Okay, I think our next move should be to go to the Green Eco Temple. I am sure that Jak will learn new techniques that will be vital to out quest."

"C'mon ol' lump-in-the-log, can't we have a day off?" Daxter asked.

"I never thought I'd say this Dad, but Daxter's right. We need some time off: we've been working really hard." Keira pleaded. Samos thought over it for a few seconds before speaking.

"Well, it is true that we have progressed faster than I had initially imagined. And it does seem fair to let you and Jak live like teenagers. All right, we will unlock the Green Eco Temple today and then enter it tomorrow. Is that fair." Jak nodded as Keira and Daxter agreed.

"Well then, you three should be off, and in the meantime, Samos and I will talk about how best to disrupt Gol's forces." Wartstal exclaimed.

"Great! C'mon boys!" Keira called as she grabbed Jak and dragged him out the door. Samos chortled as he watched Jak's confused face.

As they wandered through Volcanic Crater, Jak decided that the intense heat of this village was far better than the freezing cold of Snowy Conurbation. They saw a teenage boy walking out of a house. Jak waved to him and the boy gave them a puzzled look. As he approached, Jak saw he was about the same size as himself, except with black hair and dark brown eyes. His hair stuck was matted down and tangled rather than Jak's straight up do.

"Hey, haven't seen you guys before. You new here?" The boy asked. Jak nodded, and clamped a hand over Daxter's mouth to prevent him from turning away a potential friend.

"Yea, we come from Sandover Village." Keira said as she brushed a blue lock of hair out of her face. The boy stared intently at her face, drinking in her appearance.

"Watch it lover-boy, you're drooling," Daxter sniggered. The boy snapped out of his reverie and shook his head.

"Sorry about that. My name is Benedict. Sandover... Sandover... I've never heard of it. Where is it?"

"It's down south, past Mountain Pass, Rock Village, and the Fire Canyon," Keira explained. Jak narrowed his eyes slightly as Benedict turned to face Keira.

"So is everyone from there a supermodel like you?" He asked. Much to Jak's displeasure, she giggled, but did not blush.

"No, just me and Jak. We're modeling partners," Keira said, going along with the joke.

"And I'm the manager," Daxter said, trying to get in on the fun.

"C'mon Jak, show him your pose." Keira grinned, pulling at his arm. Jak smiled and rolled his eyes, but went into a macho pose, flexing his arms. Keira, Daxter and Benedict all found this highly amusing.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Benedict decided to find out more about these visitors. "So are any of you guys any good in a battle?"

"You ever hear of the Bane of the Lurkers?" Keira asked matter-of-factly.

"Vaguely. He's supposed to have escaped from Misty Island," Benedict said.

"That would be Jak." Daxter said. "Well, Jak _after_ the training I gave him. Why do you ask?"

"Because our village has been being harassed by Lurker Spiders for a couple of weeks, and I was wondering if you guys might want to help us out."

"We would be happy to help out this village," Keira said.

"Well, you wouldn't need to do anything. I wouldn't want a beautiful thing like you to get hurt." Keira raised her eyebrows at him and rolled her eyes.

"That's really nice, but don't forget that Jak and me are partners in the modeling business. I don't think he'd like it if his partner became involved, do you?" Benedict laughed.

"Of course not." Benedict said as he smiled at Jak, who did not return the smile at first. He tapped Keira on the shoulder and pointed to something in his backpack. Benedict stood on his tiptoes, but couldn't see what Jak was showing her properly.

"Okay Jak. You do that, and I'll get ready."

"Hey, where are you guys going?" Benedict called as he ran to keep up with them.

"Jak and Daxter are gonna go unlock the Green Eco Temple, and I'm going back to the house to get ready for later."

"What's later?"

"Nothing much, just gonna get something to eat, but I haven't showered since yesterday and I don't like that feeling."

"Oh. See ya Jak," Benedict called as Jak walked towards the caves that led to Mountain Pass. Jak waved back at Benedict and Keira as he mounted the Zoomer. As he took off, he thought about Benedict. Jak couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something about that guy that made him very uneasy. It could be the fact that he wouldn't take his eyes off Keira. Or it might be because his eyes tightened every time Keira said Jak's name or Jak looked at him. Jak shook the feeling off as paranoia and leaned back as he stepped on the accelerator and shot over a gap, making Daxter squeal.

* * *

"So Keira," Benedict asked as he followed her home, "how do you know Jak. And don't tell me that he's really a model," he added as Keira opened her mouth. "He's a bit small to be one."

Keira giggled. "You're right. Well, I met him at school when I was only eight. There was something about him that drew me to him and we've been the best of friends ever since. Everywhere I am, Jak is, and it's the same both ways. I went to him to Misty Island the second time around, and one time he came with me that time I decided to climb the mountain by our beach. Plus, he's a great guy; loyal, trusting, friendly, and strong." Benedict scowled as he saw how Keira's eyes lit up, but he covered it up as she turned to look at him.

"What about that orange rat thingy?"

"Oh, you mean Daxter. Well, Jak was best friends with Daxter when I met him, and him and me became friends to. I really like the little guy, even if he _is_ a shameless pervert who won't stop asking me out. He's got the biggest crush on my friend." At this point they had come to the bridge that led to Santar's house and she stopped walking.

"Did he always look like that?" Benedict found it very hard to think that the rodent had always looked that way.

"No, he used to be an elf like you and me. About two months ago, Jak and Daxter snuck off the Misty Island. They were horsing around and Daxter got knocked into a vat of Dark Eco. I'm happy he wasn't killed by it. Instead, the Dark Eco turned him into the Ottsel that you saw before. So then we started to, uh, never mind." Keira drifted off.

"C'mon, tell me," Benedict coaxed.

"I will, but not right now. I think Jak and Daxter should tell you the rest of the story." Keira said as she started across the bridge.

"Hey! You can't go in there." Keira turned around to looked at Benedict. "We're not allowed in Santar's house unless Santar invites us in."

"Oh, my father is Samos, the Green Sage. We're visiting while we go north."

"You want me to come in with you? I'd like to meet your dad."

Keira's thoughts turned to Wartstal, and how Benedict might react to him if he saw. "NO! I mean, uh, no thinks. My dad is meditating, and trust me; it's a bad idea to disturb him when he does that. Sorry for yelling at you like that." Seeing Benedict's upset look, she tried to make him feel better as he slowly walked back to town. "Uh, me, Jak and Daxter are gonna go back to the town later to grab a bite to eat. You wanna show us around." Benedict turned around so fast Keira swore she heard his neck crack.

"Me?" He asked. Keira laughed, but not unkindly.

"No the other local." Benedict smiled and puffed his chest out.

"All right, how about I meet you guys at Pizzro's Pizza Parlor?"

"How do we get there?"

"Just take a left, go to the town, take the third street on the right, and it's the second building on your left." Benedict called as he walked back to town.

"Sounds good!" Keira shouted to him. He raised his arm and waved to show he had heard her.

* * *

"So Jak, how do we open the temple door when there's a gigantic mountain in the way?" Daxter shouted. Sticking his finger in his ear and rotating it to clear it of the ringing, Jak Channeled Eco between his pointer and middle fingers. He placed them on the side of the cliff and traced a circle; much like Escuro had done to torture him in the Lurker Fort on Snowy Mountain. After completing the trace, he kicked the hole in and walked up to a tower of Precursor metal. It was at least two hundred feet tall, and Jak guessed it to be fifty feet or so in diameter. He walked up to an elaborately decorated door with a hole in the middle. Jak placed the orb he had found inside the Fort in the middle. Liquidated Green Eco seeped out of the orb and ran along the design patterns until the door glowed a bright green. Then, as quickly as it had begun, the light dimmed and the door went back to looking like it had before.

"Okay. That did a lot of good. Let's go ask Grandpa Green why nothing happened." Jak nodded and went back on the Zoomer. He took off, his stomach's rumbling giving him the motivation to move faster.

* * *

Keira hummed to herself as she got dressed in new clothes; a fiery red tank top with blue shorts. She heard Jak pull up to the house and park the Zoomer. After looking at herself one last time to make sure her hair was not sticking up, she went outside to meet her two friends.

"Hey guys. How'd it go?"

"Stupid. That thingy we got at the Fort only made the door glow green for a little bit before it looked the same way it did before. Where's Ol' Loggin'-Noggin?" Keira stared at Daxter for insulting her father before responding.

"He's inside, but he's talking with Wartstal still. I don't think it'd be a good idea to go in there until their done talking." As Daxter walked towards the house anyway she decided to add something else to dissuade him. "He looked in an awfully bad mood before and something about roasting the next thing to disturb him."

"Hey you know what guys, I'm hungry. What do you guys say to something to eat? Far FAR away from the house." Keira and Jak grinned at each other.

"Actually I said that Benedict could come along with us." Seeing the look on Jak's face, she quickly decided to tell him why. "I mean, he lives here and could probably show us a couple of cool places to go. He said to meet him at some place called Pizzaro's Pizza Parlor. He said it was the second place on the left after taking the third street on the right. Should we go see if he's there?" Jak nodded and Daxter scrambled up onto Keira's shoulder. She brushed him off after seeing him eyes her chest. She handed him to Jak and walked next to him as she wrapped their arms together.

They walked through the town, Daxter in particular earning many stares from the villagers. The pizza parlor was just where Benedict had said it was, and he was already there waiting for them. Keira had a sneaking suspicion that he had been waiting there for them ever since he had left the house. He got up to greet them and pulled Keira's chair out for her. Jak glared at him as Keira sat down, but covered it up before Keira saw.

"So guys, what are we gonna get?" Benedict asked after they looked through the menus for a few minutes,

"I guess we'll just get a large pizza," Keira said.

"As long as it's got scatteroni. I love scatteroni." Daxter piped up.

"All right, and I guess I'll get onions." Benedict said. Everyone grimaced at him. "What? You guys don't like onions?" Everyone shook his or her heads in unison.

"Well, as long as we're all getting toppings, I guess I'll have extra cheese," Keira said.

"What about you Jak?" Benedict asked. Jak held up the menu and pointed to sausage. "Don't you talk?" Jak shook his head. "Well why not?"

"Because he was born a mute ok? Drop it." Keira said in an unusually sharp voice. Both Jak and Benedict looked at her in surprise; Daxter was somewhat busy following the path of a rather curvy waitress. Jak and Daxter went into the parlor to place the order. While waiting for them to emerge, Keira focused on everything around her except Benedict. His unrelenting stare, so like and yet so unlike Jak's, made her feel very uneasy. She was relieved when Jak came back with the pizza and he stopped staring at her. As she took a slice of pizza, she noticed Daxter was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Daxter?" Jak rolled his eyes and pointed back towards the parlor. She saw Daxter talking to the waitress he had been gawking at before. After a while, Daxter came out, looking exceptionally pleased with him. He answered no questions for once, and instead began devouring the slice that Jak gave him, only muttering muffled thanks.

"So Keira, you said you would fill me in on the whole journey north thing. So, lemme hear it."

"Ok, well, you guys wanna help me out?" Jak nodded. "All right, it all started two months ago when Jak and Daxter snuck away to Misty Island. They discovered a plot to attack the village, and that's when Daxter became what he is. My dad said that the only person who has studied Dark Eco extensively enough to have a chance at returning Daxter to how he used to be was a guy named Gol Akaron: the Dark Sage. After that, we collected some Power Cells by going to the Forbidden Jungle and the Blue Eco Temple. That way we could go north to Rock Village. From there we went to the Yellow Eco Temple and then the Mountain Pass. We went to Snowy Mountain Island five days ago, and we just got back today after finding the key to the Green Eco Temple. Jak unlocked it before. From here we need to go through the Spider Caves, Desert Goliath, and from there, Wasteland Metropolis. That's as much of our plan as we have now. We need to stop Gol as fast as possible." Through out this speech, Benedict had not eaten, and he was gazing at the three of them with newfound respect.

"Wait a second, I thought you said Gol was the only one who could change Daxter back?"

"He is. But me and Jak found out that Gol's the new Lurker leader, and he's the one that's been tryin' to kill us!" Daxter said. Benedict let out a long low whistle.

"So you gotta go stop Gol from doing what exactly?"

"He plans to open the Dark Eco Silos and flood the world with Dark Eco." Keira explained.

"Wow. Well, I can see you guys have had enough trouble for a while, so how about we just walk through the town?"

"That okay with you Jak?" Keira asked. Jak smiled and nodded; he had some money leftover and he felt like buying something. As they stood up, Benedict threw some money down on the table.

"Just so you guys know, I'm coming with you." The other three exchanged confused looks. "All my life I've wanted to make a name for myself, and I think that by helping you guys to kill Gol, I might be able to so that." Jak shook his head no, but Benedict insisted. "Look, you guys can either let me come with you, or I can follow you guys anyway." The three of them looked at each other before Jak sighed and nodded.

"Great! Now, we got this souvenir shop right down the road. You guys wanna go inside and take a look?"

"Sure," Keira said. They walked down the road, Keira once again slinging arms with Jak. Benedict noticed and he clenched his jaw. As they went inside, he thought about the best way to impress Keira. As she looked around, he made a mental note of all the things she stopped to look at. In the end, he bought her a white tee shirt with flames going up and down the edges. She smiled and thanked him for the gift, and he smirked across the store at Jak. To his astonishment, Jak looked utterly unfazed. After they went outside, he led Keira into a bike shop.

"What a idiot. This guy obviously doesn't know women," Benedict thought as Jak made her wait outside while he went in. When he came out with a new mechanic's kit, Keira squealed with delight and grabbed Jak into a bone-crushing hug. Although Jak showed no outward arrogance, Benedict was sure Jak was inwardly mocking him.

Jak's ears picked up a commotion coming from the far end of town. He looked curiously at Benedict for some explanation, but Benedict appeared stumped. The four of them decided to go see what it was. Jak groaned when he saw spider with four-foot long legs crawling down the mountain. He looked over at Benedict who nodded in response to Jak's unasked question.

"Spiders," Benedict growled. Jak cracked his knuckles and neck as he walked towards the scene. "Get back Keira," Benedict said as he put an arm against her stomach and pushed her away from the danger. A spider spotted them and rushed for them. Benedict kicked it in the head as it got within range and his foot went through the skull. He picked the corpse up and threw it at another three that were by the edge. All four of the bodies went toppling over the edge and into the lava. Benedict looked over to where Jak and Daxter were and saw Jak wielding a blade made out of Yellow Eco.

"Yo Jak, how'd you do that? There's no Eco near this part of the town." Jak heard him and called his blade back. Benedict watched as Jak flicked something on his waist and jumped twenty feet in the air over to where he was standing. Jak flicked the Yellow Box on his waist and Benedict saw Jak's body glow yellow. "So those Boxes store up the Eco?" Jak nodded as he blasted a few more spiders back. "Can I use one?" Jak shook his head. "Why not?"

"Because, only Channelers would be able to handle the amount of Eco genius." Daxter said from Jak's backpack.

"But I am a Channeler. I can use Eco too." Jak stared at him for a few seconds before handing red and green boxes to him. "Thanks man." Jak grinned and gave Benedict a thumbs-up. Jak summoned two blades again and went back to fighting over by the source of the Lurkers. Benedict turned the Red Eco Box on and felt the kinetic energy wash over his body. He slammed his foot down on the ground and a crack appeared in the ground. The crack traveled over to a group of Spiders that were too close to the edge and went toppling over. Using the super-strength, Benedict annihilated every Lurker that got past Jak. After a few minutes, Jak saw that the Spiders were coming out of a hole. He flew over to Benedict and pointed the hole out. Benedict nodded and began climbing the mountainside. Jak stayed below and kept the Spiders rushing down the hill from reaching Benedict.

"Time to stop these things from the source" Benedict muttered to himself as he reached the summit and the entrance to the cave. He punched holes in the walls and watched with satisfaction as the entire caves fell in. As the rubble reached him, he jumped out and landed neatly on the ground next to Jak.

"Wow! These things would sure come in handy." Benedict said happily as he gave them back to Jak.

"Glad you think so," Keira said as she walked up, "because I just happened to make another set."

"When did you do that baby?" Daxter asked. Jak wondered that as well.

"Well, I've been working on another set ever since I found out the originals worked. I made them in my spare time, which is why they took me two months to finish. But I figured they would come in handy if something ever happened to your old ones Jak. I actually never thought we would encounter another Channeler though." Keira said as she grinned at Benedict, who grinned back. "Okay Jak, you give him those, and I'll go back and get you the new set." Benedict watched her as she left, the new mechanics kit and tee shirt slung over her shoulder.

"Say Jak," Jak turned around to face Benedict. "What do you say to a little sparring session? We have an arena near the bottom of the crater, and I think we should give this town something to watch, don't you." Jak grinned and nodded.

When Keira came back and gave Jak the new set of Eco Boxes, she was happy to see the two of them get into some friendly competition. At the bottom of the Crater, Jak and Benedict stood on opposite ends of the arena.

"Remember Jak, no cheating. That means one on one, not one and a half on one." Jak grinned back and nudged Daxter off his shoulder, who happily got off. The two adolescents stood still and sized each other up before attacking.

Jak powered up using his Blue Eco Box, while Benedict used his Red. Jak rushed in before Benedict could react and started pummeling away lightly. Benedict threw punch after punch, but Jak blocked every single one. Benedict back-flipped and slammed down on the ground, causing Jak to stumble. Before Jak regained his balance, Benedict rushed in with his Blue Eco Box and pounded Jak with punches and kicks.

Jak recuperated his senses and began battling Benedict in hand-to-hand combat. The two of them threw punches and kicks, parries and blocks so fast that it was impossible for the spectators to see whose limb was whose.

Jak began to rise up into the air and to his surprise, Benedict was able to as well. Jak threw a right hook that got parried by Benedict and he found himself getting hurled at the ground. He impacted and opened his eyes just in time to see Benedict rushing down, his left foot first. Jak rolled out of the way and swept Benedict off his feet. The two of them got up and Channeled Red Eco. They began throwing single techniques, putting everything they had into each one.

Nearby rocks exploded as Jak and Benedict's fists hit each other. Neither of them scored a hit, which was both good and bad. The two of them ran in, both punching with their right fists. Jak caught Benedict's fist with his left hand, and Benedict did the same. The two of them pushed against each other, each trying to outmuscle the opponent. As with Jak's first skirmish with Escuro, the ground began to crack and splinter under the pressure they were exerting on it. When Benedict ran out of Red Eco, Jak had about three seconds more than him. Jak threw Benedict up into the air and shot up after him.

Benedict saw Jak coming and socked him in the jaw as Jak made to punch him. Unfortunately for him, as Jak fell, he grabbed Benedict's right arm and pulled him back to earth. As the two of them got out of the lovely imprints they had put into the solid rock, they began healing themselves. Jak decided to play a trump card. He gathered the remaining Green Eco in his Box and formed a ball. He chucked it right at Benedict, who dodged to the left.

Benedict whirled to face Jak, but Jak was nowhere to be seen. Jak suddenly appeared on Benedict's right and began punching his chest. Benedict could only gasp as Jak landed blow after blow upon his body, stopping only when Jak ran out of Blue Eco. Benedict quickly healed and shot at Jak using his own Blue Eco.

Jak summoned an Eco Blade and blocked all of Benedict's attacks. Benedict tried to summon his own blade, but couldn't. Jak took the chance to throw Benedict to the ground and point his blade at his throat, clearly saying who was the victor.

Keira clapped and whistled along with the rest of the crowd at Jak's win. Benedict stood up, sulking. Keira ran down to make sure Benedict before running up to Jak and hugging him, congratulating Jak all the time. She caught a glimpse of Benedict's face and released Jak to help him up.

"Don't feel bad. Jak's been Channeling since he was twelve. Maybe he could teach you some new tricks?" Jak smiled and nodded, but Benedict just turned away, tears running down his face as he wiped them off. Jak shrugged; he had been as nice as possible to him, but Benedict seemed to be highly resentful.

When Jak went to bed that night, his dreams were once again dark. More vividly than ever could he see Keira gutting him and reveling in his pain. He woke up and blasted a hole through the ceiling in a panic. Seconds later, Keira burst in, her face anxious.

"Jak! What's wrong?" Jak just sat there, shaking. He looked at Keira, who smiled at him. The face of her demon form superimposed itself over her face and Jak went stumbling back in a panic. Keira rushed to him as he fell off the bed and cradled his head in her lap.

"Its okay Jak," she whispered. Jak stared up at her and saw her for real this time. Slowly, his body stopped shaking as he mastered his fear. He took a deep breath and fell asleep: the rapid changing of emotions had worn him out. Keira smiled as she ran a hand through Jak's hair. She lifted his body up and placed it on the bed. She got in behind him and once again put his head in her lap. She leaned against the headboard of the bed and fell asleep; drawing satisfaction from the fact that she had calmed her hero down.

The next day dawned bright, shiny and peaceful. It didn't last very long. Jak and Keira were blasted off the bed by a massive shockwave originating from town. After detangling themselves, Jak and Keira ran outside to see what the commotion was all about. Jak gritted his teeth as he saw Escuro blasting houses apart with lightning and beams. He started to run when he saw Keira come out of the house with her bow and arrows. He turned around and drew a line in the dust, clearly saying not to follow.

"Jak, I am coming with you. I care about those people just as much as you. If we work together, we can defeat it once and for all." Jak reluctantly nodded his head. Before he crossed the bridge, Jak ran back and grabbed an Eco Saber. He ran out and picked Keira up. As Jak turned his Blue Eco Box on, he jumped over the bridge and flew to the town.

Jak landed and sniffed the air, as if he hoped to pinpoint Escuro's exact location by scent alone. He heard something jump behind him and saw Escuro launch herself off the roof of a nearby hut. Before Jak could react, she sunk all ten of her claws into his skin.

Escuro retracted her claws and watched Jak slump down, blood gushing from the holes in his chest. She then did something no one had even thought possible; she ripped one of her fingernails out and it grew into a sword. She pulled out another one and both of the holes on her hands healed and new fingernails grew within seconds. She prepared o strike Jak down once and for all, a crazed glint shining in her eyes. Jak watched, as everything seemed to slow down, as the blades got closer and closer. When they were an inch away, Escuro roared and jerked to the side. Jak watched as she pulled three arrows out of her chest. Jak smiled as he looked to his right to see Keira holding her bow, her normally cheerful face with an unnatural frown on it. Jak flipped on his Green Eco Box and watched as he healed. Keira loaded up another arrow within the blink of and eye and launched it dead between Escuro's eyes. As it closed it, Escuro caught the arrow with her thumb and pointer fingers. As the arrow burned away, she rushed at Keira.

Jak vaulted up and shot two Yellow Eco bombs at Escuro. The first one he overshot, so she paused at it went whizzing by her. The second one hit her in the back and expanded to about three feet in diameter. Jak summoned an Eco Blade and stood up as Escuro ran at him instead. The first Yellow Bomb turned in midair and impacted her on the back again. As Escuro yelled in pain, Jak lunged forward and recalled his Eco Blade, opting instead to deliver a flying sidekick to the ribs.

Escuro went flying back and crashed into some debris. She emerged with a roar, only to be blasted back into the rubble. Jak looked over where the blast had originated from and saw Benedict, his hand smoking.

"Boo-yah." He muttered. "Now, who said, y'all could start the party without me?" He asked as he walked up to Jak. Jak grinned and they clasped hands. Escuro dashed out from the rocks. Jak tossed Benedict the Eco Saber and the two of them attacked as one.

Jak flew up to match Escuro in the air and the two of them meleed back to earth. As they landed, Benedict shot a beam of Yellow Eco, but Escuro shot a bigger beam of Dark Eco through it. Jak gathered all his Yellow Eco into a ball and managed to deflect the shot. He then called the beam back and split it into two Eco Blades. Whirling them around in a complicated pattern, Jak assumed a combat stance. The demon rushed in and began a double blade fight with Jak. Benedict was too in awe at watching them to do much of anything else for a few seconds.

As he came in with a roar, Escuro did a spinning back kick that hit him right in the soloplexes. As Benedict gasped, he relaxed his grip on his Eco Saber. Escuro snatched it out of his hand and began fighting Jak again. Fortunately, even the power of an Eco Saber could not match the power of raw Eco. After parrying and thrusting, Jak successfully disarmed Escuro and pushed her to the ground.

Jak stood with the blade at Escuro's throat. He stared down at the demon with a mixture of pity and revulsion. "Please. Please don't kill me." The demon pleaded, her hands outstretched.

"Why? Why should he show you the mercy that you've never shown anyone?" Benedict aggressively asked.

"Because I didn't have a choice. Gol would have killed me if I didn't do what he said."

Jak struggled to bring himself to kill this creature, but he couldn't. All he could feel was pity for the poor soul that Gol had stolen. Benedict snorted and made to strike, but Jak held him back. He bent down and lifted the demon's face, which was soaked with tears. The ground suddenly collapsed and Jak fell with the rocks. He jammed his blade into the mountain to slow his fall and was relieved when he stopped before the lava. Benedict moved closer and now that he was in Jak's position, he could see why Jak had hesitated to kill Escuro. He brought his blade up and stopped for a minute, trying to kill the demon.

Escuro darted away from Benedict towards Keira. Benedict became enraged as he saw the girl he liked be charged by the demon. He hurled his Eco Blade in a boomerang fashion and sliced Escuro's left forearm off. He ran in and viciously used Yellow Eco scythes to slice her other forearm off in addition to her legs up to her knees. He then shot a massive blast of Yellow Eco and she went hurling into the lava. Escuro shrieked as she sank beneath the waves of molten rock. Keira and Benedict watched as she vanished beneath the fiery blaze of liquid fury.

Jak pulled himself up over the mountain again. As he emerged, Keira darted away from Benedict, who had been preparing to kiss her on the ear to make sure Jak was all right. Benedict scowled once again as he saw the girl he was infatuated with hug another man. He grabbed his blade and stalked off to his house.

"Benedict, come back!" Keira called, but either he didn't hear or he ignored her. Keira helped Jak back to the house, who was fake limping because he liked to lean on her. After a nap, Jak emerged and he and Keira spent the rest of the day playing a form of Zany Eights.

Jak woke up the next day feeling refreshed. After eating, he and Daxter went to venture into the Green Eco Temple. According to Samos, the doors were now open; they only looked the same to deceive the person trying to get in. As always, Keira packed Jak enough food in his backpack to last him a good long while. As Jak rode to the Mountain Pass, he thought about the strange energy he had felt right before Escuro had been hurled off the cliff.

"Well partner, here we go," Daxter said as Jak entered the Temple. Jak nodded and bravely stepped into the darkness, the doors slamming shut behind him.

* * *

Gol's eyes opened from his meditation. "Bring me Gravis," he rasped to his guard.

"Right away sir!" The Warrior said. He returned with a small Lurker, one about Jak's size. This Lurker was clothed in black, with only his eyes showing. His body build was exactly like Jak's only with one difference; he had four arms.

"You called my lord?" He asked as he bowed before Gol.

"Yes. I will need you very soon." Gol said as he stared down at his servant.

"I am flattered, but why will you have need of me? I am not worthy of fighting for you, not unless I can help end and win the war against my father."

"The end of the war is near, Gravis, and I promise you, victory is assured."

"But the loss of Escuro?"

"Her death was a necessary loss, one which will ensure our victory. Soon I will have a new apprentice... one far younger far and more powerful than Escuro ever could be..."

* * *

Hoo hoo, cliffy! I like ending with these. Well, maybe not so much of a cliffhanger as more of a "can you guess what's going on" thing. This one came out because Thursday is my birthday and I wanted to update early for you guys. Sorry it's short though. As usual, I will accept any and all forms of criticism (lots will be hurled at me I know), praise (none will be sent at me) and food. I like food. Sorry, I'm in a very weird mood. Anyway, if you don't review, sorry for wasting a colossal amount of time. And if you do, thank you, and I bow down and worship you. Also, urgent notice: I NEED HELP! That was only in caps to get your attention. If anyone has an idea for the structure of the Green Eco Temple, or if you have an idea for a room or a trap or enemy, please let me know. All enemies will be plant or nature based. Thank you very much. 


	18. New Powers and New Dangers Abound

Red Mage 04- Yes, you will be seeing a LOT of influence from Star Wars very shortly. Ah yes, the ever loveable love triangle. Except this time only one person is torn, because Jak and Keira seem pretty set on each other. However, the whole love thing will lead to some messed-up stuff. Not rape or anything like that though, so do not worry. The new Lurker is going to become another major character I added, but he is not an original, so do not worry, it should not affect Tarath. Thank you for the Happy Birthday, but your review was a much better present than anything else I could have gotten. Biology. Boo! Congratulations on staring War of the Ancients. EVERYONE MUST READ RISEN DEMON AND THEN THIS! THEY ARE BOTH EXCEPTIONALLY GOOD STORIES PUTTING MINE TO SHAME! (Which isn't particularly hard, but they should be they games.) 

animedragongirl- Thank you for the Happy Birthday, but like I said to Red Mage 04, your review was a much better present than anything else I could have gotten. You know what is weird; my sister's birthday is the same as your Muse's, September 28th. Weird huh? Thanks very much for the offer, but I don't really want to be included in your story. Not that it's a bad story or anything (its beyond hilarious) but the idea just doesn't appeal to me. Yes Benedict is very jealous, and that jealousy will have a major influence on the rest of the plot. I will take your design of the Green Eco Temple you gave me to heart, I did not think of that, but only geniuses like you guys can come up with these exceptionally good ideas. Well, I hate to contradict you, but you said it yourself; there were some errors in my chapter, so it wasn't perfect. Meaning I'll just have to try harder. Anyway, thank you for the review.

Lauren- That quote is from Darth Vader upon the Death Star in Return of the Jedi, in response to the captain saying, "We will double our efforts." Chucking someone under the chin means making a fist, sticking your pointer out and curling it. He then hooked the finger under her chin to make her look up at him instead of down at the floor. With the he and she, it usually refers to the last person who spoke, or who the entire paragraph is about. But I will insert names a bit more often to make it easier for you. I made it out so that everyone hated Wartstal, but he's a good guy. For now. Thanks for the birthday comment. I update whenever I can, but I try to do it on Sunday's, but since I did it on Thursday, it's gonna be screwed up for a while. Eco is an energy source. Green Eco is the energy of Life, Blue Eco is the energy of Motion, Yellow Eco increases a creature's Ki, and Red Eco gives a person enhanced kinetic energy. Dark Eco contains properties of all of these, but is highly toxic, not to mention dangerous, which is why very few people actual Channel it. Please don't poke me.

Disclaimer- I'm sure everyone knows this, but as renegade lawyers will sue me if I don't say it every chapter, I don't own this. If I did, I would not be writing fan fiction about it, I would have ruined the entire franchise by making this the first game. Anywho… ELEVEN DAYS 'TILL JAK X: COMBAT RACING! And with that out of my system, here is Chapter Eighteen.

New Powers and New Dangers Abound

* * *

"Wow…" Daxter breathed, for once at a lack of words. Jak shared his sentiments; the Temple was beautiful. He wished Samos had come with them so he could see this. Jak decided to take a few pictures with his goggles. He pulled them down over his eyes and flipped a switch that stored images, like he did in the Blue Eco Temple when the boulder was chasing him. He took two, and decided to save the other three for later.

The Temple was made of metal, like everything else the Precursors created. This one differed from the others in the fact that it was completely covered in plant life. The floor was covered in grass; the walls were decorated with vines of green, blue, yellow, purple, white and red colors forming elaborate designs. The ceiling was covered in plant life except for a circular hole in the dead center, which was bare. Other than that one spot, every foot apart were bulbs giving off enormous amounts of light. Even more impressive was the fact that the lights were different color, and they reflected off the vines, making the colors seem to shimmer and change hues. There were stairs that seemed to be made purely of plants and dirt leading in another direction, the sides covered in flowers. Jak walked slowly through the entrance hall, revolving on the spot, not wanting to tear his eyes away from the beauty of the room. So entranced by the beauty of the room was they, that neither Jak nor Daxter noticed the small plants emerge from the floor open buds. Razor-sharp teeth gleamed in the light as the plants lunged forward, aiming for Jak's flesh…

* * *

"By the Precursors." Samos whispered.

"What is it Samos?" Wartstal asked.

"I know why the Lurkers are in the Spider Caves"

"Why"

"The head of a Precursor Robot is buried in there. That must be what they are after"

"Should I go in there and try to stop them"

"No. News of your betrayal will have spread by now, and to go in would be suicide. Jak might be strong enough to survive the trials, but for safe measure, I think Benedict should go as well"

"Will he have a say in this?" Wartstal asked; he had noticed Samos had a tendency to tell people what to do regardless of whether or not they wanted to.

"Of course. Keira said he insisted on accompanying us anyway, so he might as well make himself useful"

* * *

The plants coming out of the ground lunged for Jak… and missed. Jak back-flipped and landed on the head of the plant's head. As blood leaked out, he noticed the sharp teeth in the bud part of the flower. "Jeez, Jak. How did you know that was gonna happen?" Daxter asked his friend. Jak smirked and bent down. He grabbed the head of the now dead plant and shook it. A faint rattling noise came from the head. "Ohhhhh." Jak smiled at his friend before leaping into the air. He smashed down on another plant before ripping it out of the ground and hurling it another one.

"Damn!" Daxter shouted. "Can't a guy relax and enjoy the scenery?" Jak noticed a patch of land that didn't seem to have any grass plots. As he walked over he saw a spider web and a light at the end of a long fall. Jak Channeled Red Eco intending to burn through the web, but all that he accomplished was making the webs glow slightly red. He formed an Eco Blade and sliced through the web, but the sword has no effect whatsoever other than making the web glow yellow this time.

Jak shrugged, figuring he would get back to the web later. If he was still alive that is. He walked over to the stairs and began climbing them. They led down a dark hallway. Jak gathered two balls of Yellow Eco, one in each hand, to light his way. This part of the Temple seemed to be earthy instead of full of flora. A small scuttling sound made Jak spin around. There was nothing that he could see, but he had the feeling he was being watched. He turned around and heard the scuttling sound. This time, he was certain he saw something dark fly up, but as he intensified his light to shine all the way up to the ceiling, there was still nothing there. Jak turned around and began walking again only to spin around and fire two blasts: one at the floor and one at the ceiling. Neither of the blasts hit anything, but when Jak resumed his hiking again he heard the sound louder than ever. He spun around and backpedaled, as he looked for the perpetrator. He saw nothing, sensed nothing, but the scuttling was driving him out of his mind. Jak spun around and broke into a full run as he tried desperately to out run the sounds behind him.

Jak saw a turn coming up and he flung his body into the corner, back first, so nothing could sneak up on him. Or so he thought. Eight thin, spindly legs shot out of the wall and grabbed him. He heard the scampering sounds, louder than ever before, from behind him. Jak stuck his hand behind his head and blindly fired a small beam of Yellow Eco. The legs groping him went slack and Jak spun around. On the floor was a spider. They remarkably like the Lurker Spiders except they had what looked like a flattened elf skull for a body. As the legs rolled up, the spider sank into the earth. Jak let out a whistle; that was the reason he couldn't see what was following him. Jak continued and came to a pond with a wooden square floating on the surface. Jak hopped on it and the platform started to ferry him across the lake. As Jak stared into the water, he saw Keira. Panicking, Jak stuck his hand under the water to try to save her from drowning. His hand passed through the image of Keira. Jak looked closer and it saw him his own memories and thoughts of Keira. Keira at the beach, working on the Zoomer, shooting Lurkers down with arrows, leaning over him as he lay injured. Daxter wondered why Jak staring at nothing so intently, but an image caught his attention. Daxter looked into the water and saw women playing volleyball. He leaned in, just like Jak. More images swam across his eyes, him in his normal form, slapping Gol until he cried like a baby, more girls laughing in the water, getting into a water fight with those girls. Once again, they were both so entranced by what they saw, they did not notice a tentacle slither toward Jak.

"What does he have that I don't?" Benedict grumbled to himself. He paced in his room back and forth, wondering why Keira liked Jak more than him. "Me and Jak are the same, I'm probably better. I'm a Channeler, just like Jak. Ok, maybe I'm not as tall, but I have a lot more muscle; I make Jak look like a child. Jak is a better Channeler, but so what, I killed just as many Spiders that day. Could it be the sparring match? Nah, she knows I'm at a disadvantage there. Maybe I should let Jak teach me some new moves, then I can beat him and impress Keira." Benedict kept conversing with himself as to why Keira liked Jak so much more than she liked him. "With the Precursors as my witnesses, I will make Keira mine." Benedict grumbled to his ceiling. With that comforting thought, he rolled off his bed and began doing push-ups.

The feeler grabbed Jak by the waist and pulled him under. Daxter looked around just in time to see his friend get yanked into the water. Jak struggled underneath the water and suddenly the tentacle that had a grip on him broke. Jak flew to the surface and burst out of the water. He yanked Daxter off the raft and flew to the other side of the room. He saw part of the lake rise out of the water and fly toward him. Jak leapt down a hole and looked up to see the water following him. Jak landed and the water oozed out of the hole. It collected on the floor until it formed into a giant blob. There was a reddish sphere in the center that swiveled whenever he made a move. Jak fired a ball of Yellow Eco into the water, but it simply rebounded. Jak caught it and formed it into a sword.

Jak ran in, slashing and stabbing furiously. Wherever he cut, the water seemed to "heal." Apparently, the water grew tired of this and simply grabbed Jak and stuffed him into it. Jak struggled for air as he slowly suffocated. He hammered away at the thin membrane that kept the water together. Although it was paper-thin, it was unbreakable. Trying to keep his wits, he hammered even harder using Red Eco. To his surprise, the blob writhed and spat him out. Jak gasped for air as he watched the blob writhe and shriek as it evaporated. Jak turned around when a trickling sound caught his ears. He turned around to see the water condensing and forming around the blob. Without even thinking about it, Jak ran up and sliced the globule right in half. The water lost its otherworldly glow and the splotch disappeared. Jak sighed and use his Green Eco Box to get rid of his fatigue. He entered the next room through a door that seemed to be made out of the same earthy substance that held the Temple together.

He door slammed shut behind him. Jak looked around and bars made of Precursor metal slammed down over the door, ensuring he would not be able to get out by brute force. "Well, looks like I ain't getting out that way," Jak thought to himself. He turned around and saw that there were two torches in the room. Jak shot a beam of Yellow Eco at it, but the Eco fizzled out. Jak shot another blast of Yellow Eco at it from a much closer distance, but again it sputtered out. Jak then Channeled Red Eco into his hand and put it into the torch, thinking the heat from his hand might make it burst into flame. Jak thought of how to light this torch, he needed to find out how to burn something without using Red or Yellow Eco. There seemed to be a thin line of moss covering the interior of the basin. Jak wracked his brains to think of something, and remembered a scene from his childhood.

* * *

"Look at this Jak. This is a very rare moss. It will not combust unless-"

"Wow. Mold. You know, greenie, if I wanted to see that I would just take off the logs you wear on your feet." Daxter said as he popped his head in through the window. Jak smiled at this, but winced as Daxter's head was sent flying through the window thanks to Samos.

"Now. As I was saying. This moss will not burn unless Channeled with Green Eco"

"Could this be the same moss?" Jak wondered. He decided to find out. He gathered a small ball of Green Eco into his palm and dropped it into the torch. Instantly the moss covering the sink burst into yellow flames, illuminating the room. A Launch Pad was on the ground, and looking up, Jak saw a web. He stepped on the Pad and launched up. He hit the web, which stretched upwards. He was sent crashing back to the ground. As he rubbed his head, Jak once again leaped up. He was just as unsuccessful as previously, except this time he landed on another area of his body. Jak stood up, rubbing his backside. He Channeled Blue Eco once more. As he flew towards the web, he activated his Yellow Eco Box. He blasted everything he had downwards and the extra velocity it provided him sent him through the web and into the very first room of the Temple. He continued through the air, but began to slow down. Looking down, he saw the web regenerating itself. Knowing he couldn't relive the terrors he had faced already, Jak flew through the air with his Blue Eco powers. The hole on the ceiling opened for him as he went flying past it.

The hole resealed itself as Jak landed in another room. He stood up and looked around. There was a small bush in front of him. A small creature popped its head out and spit a large walnut at him. Jak caught the walnut. It immediately glowed red and exploded in his hand. Jak went flying backwards. More spouts popped up and fired a barrage of bullets at him. Jak leapt into the air, twisting his body to avoid the nuts. Jak landed and began deflecting the bullets with his forearm armor. As one nailed him on the side, he crumpled. More began to slip through his defenses until his body was being pounded on from every angle. Through the pain, Jak struggled to find a way to win. Images of what would happen if he lost ran rampant through his head. Gol would open the Silos, the Sages would perish, Benedict would be killed, Daxter would be killed next, and Keira would be alone. That last thought was unbearable.

Jak stood up, healing himself as he erected a barrier of Green Eco. The shield bent in under the pressure from the explosions. Jak summoned every last bit of resolution he had and forced the shield to expand. Eventually, the shield reached the plants, where their bombs exploded too close to themselves and blew them up. Jak stood up and winced at the devastation he had caused. He was only here for two reasons; keeping secrets from Gol and gaining more power. He thought about his quest for power. For what purpose. After thinking about it for a minute before reaching the conclusion that the only reason he wanted more power was to protect those dear to him. Samos, Daxter, Bryan, Mike, Lauren, Kristen, Benedict… and Keira.

Jak entered the next room and heard scuttling sounds again. He was a mite uneasy this time, he was now out of everything except Blue Eco. Jak heard a muffled thump from behind him and saw an odd creature. It had three legs and was covered in dark purple armor. It had a single yellow eye along with black claws. Fortunately it only came up to his knee. As it scuttled towards Jak, he levitated it. He brought it close to his face to get a look at it and the thing, whatever it was, sprouted a scorpion's tail that stuck him right in the forehead. Jak winced in surprise and pain as he felt the stinger penetrate his skin. He threw the creature against the wall so that it shattered as he rubbed his forehead.

More sounds came from behind him. Jak turned around and saw a quartet of creatures approaching him, hissing as their tails extended. Jak backed away; waiting for the right time. As one lunged, he grabbed it with telekinesis and impaled two others with its stingers. The last one got him, digging its stinger deep into his left lag. Jak hissed in pain and sent his foot through the thing's skull.  
As the blood leaked from the shattered cranium, lights burst from all over. Jak assumed a combat stance, only to relax. The room was now illuminated fully and Jak saw a spring rise up from the ground. Jak bent down to drink and as the cool liquid slid down his throat, he felt all his injuries and weaknesses fade away.

The next room was a beautiful meadow. Jak kept his mind on his goal this time so as not to be distracted and attacked unexpectedly, as had happened twice already. He saw three wolves running at him. As they got closer, they rose up on their hind legs and approached him in an elfish-like walk. They stopped and surrounded him as Jak ran towards them. The one to his left charged and Jak ducked under its blow. He bent backwards and hit it under the chin with his foot as he did a back flip. He wasn't finished with it, because he gripped it around the neck with his legs and as he landed, threw it at the one on the right. The one behind him leapt at him, hoping to take him unawares. Jak would not be caught so easily, and he kicked the wolf right in the throat, ending the confrontation then and there. The third one threw its dead companion off and slashed at Jak, who easily blocked it. Again and again it stuck and swiped at Jak, trying to cut him up, but it was continuously blocked and parried. Jak leaned back and threw a punch dead on with the wolf's forehead. A nasty crunching sound was heard as Jak pivoted his hips to get the full extension off his attack. The wolf dropped down to the floor with a crack in it's head.

Jak continued through the meadow, amazed at the beauty, and yet keeping his mind on the matter at hand. As he approached another door, three plants lunged out of the grass. Jak stepped back out of their range and grabbed one by the neck. He yanked it out of the ground, killing it instantly. Its body went from being limp to hard as a pole of Precursor metal. Jak swung it experimentally a few times before winding up and letting the other two have it. Jak kept the pole; it might come in handy later. As he entered the next room, he saw a shadow on the floor grow larger. Suddenly, a giant hand fell of the ceiling and grabbed him around the throat. Jak struggled with it before biting the thing. It let go of him and landed so that it could walk around on its fingers. As it lunged at him, Jak smacked it with the pole so hard that it went flying through the air, into a wall, and cracked said wall. Jak looked at his weapon and saw that he had snapped it clean in two. He shrugged and dropped it on the ground, as it saw no longer of any use to him.

Jak continued into the room, which eventually narrowed into a hallway. As he entered the next room, he saw a zombie similar to the one in the Yellow Eco Temple. Unlike the chivalrous one like before, this one simply roared and drew a sword. Jak ducked and used two fists to blast a hole through the zombie's chest. As it went reeling back, it raised its arm and Jak saw dozens of small creatures approaching him. All of them looked like the ones he had beaten before. They hissed and unsheathed their stingers. As one lunged, Jak caught it and smashed it. To his surprise Yellow Eco leaked out. Jak grabbed it and smirked. He leapt back to get some distance and flattened the Yellow Eco sphere into a disk. He then expanded it until the center was no more and he was left with a hollow discus. He then split the discus in two and held the edges between his fingers. He threw them and the disks wreaked havoc on the small creatures. They were split and sliced up, Eco poring out of them. In a matter of minutes, Jak was wielding two Eco Blades with full Eco Boxes. He turned around to face the zombie and engaged it. For some reason, it was much more powerful than it was before. Jak pushed with all his might, but he was not able to outmuscle the collection of bones.

Three more creatures tried to sneak up on Jak while he engaged the Un-Dead once more. Tried being the operative word. As Jak killed the three of them, he felt the zombie get even more powerful. Jak's eyes widened as he realized that all the death he was creating was somehow making the monster stronger. Jak flew up into the air and threw his Eco Blades at the zombie. To his amazement, they were absorbed into the sword. As he landed, the Un-Dead swung with sword and five trails of Yellow Eco traveled along the ground and slammed into Jak. As Jak healed himself, he saw the monster cowering away from the Green Eco he was using. Jak was struck by an insane idea, but then again, he had nothing else to work with. He gathered all the Green Eco he had into a ball and ran at the zombie. The zombie backed away from the Green Eco in Jak's hand. Jak slammed the ball into the zombie's chest and watched as it grew alive. It was a rather odd scene, Jak thought, as he watched something die in reverse. When the elf was fully alive, Jak stabbed through the chest as it raised its sword at him. As it slumped to the ground, Jak saw it die for good. The body disintegrated into dust as the floor gave way.  
Jak fell and landed rather unceremoniously on his buttocks. As he got up, the ceiling, or floor from before, resealed, leaving the room pitch-block.

Jak looked around and saw a reddish glow off to his right. As he approached it, Jak suddenly got the feeling that there was something in here that he shouldn't be with. Jak summoned an Eco Blade with one hand and a ball in his other hand. He leapt back from the red ball: it was actually a giant eye. As Jak made the ball of Eco bigger, the rest of his next opponent was revealed.

The monster was a much larger and uglier version of the creatures Jak had been fighting for some time now. The chest was six feet across, with no neck; rather, the eye was about four inches above the chest. Two small scorpion claws protruded from where the shoulder would be, and its left arm had three talons, the other had a hand like a scorpion's claw. A long and lethal looking tail obtruded from the back. After five feet, it branched off into three tails, each two feet from the cut. Under its armpits was a turquoise crystal that stuck out about three inches. The body's size quickly diminished after the chest, after two feet, it was no wider than Jak. That part looked like the only vulnerable part, as it was not covered in armor and was flesh colored. The lower part of the body was snakelike, long and scaly. The end of the bottom half ended in another bluish-green gemstone. It reared up and Jak noticed it was roughly twice as tall as he was. The eye rolled back and turned yellow. As it slithered back away from the light, Jak gathered his remaining Eco into a ball and hurled it up to the ceiling so it could illuminate the room. The last thing Jak needed was to fight an opponent that could see him and he could not see.

Jak watched as it crawled up the wall and dangled from the ceiling. Jak leaped into the air to fight it and got smacked back so hard by the scorpion's claw he swore he could hear his ribs crack. As Jak got painfully to his feet, realized that he was out of Green Eco. Jak panicked as he saw his opponent rush at him, much faster than its size would indicate. Jak jumped over it and recalled his Eco Blade. As the monster turned around, Jak socked it right in the eye. As it let out a scream of pain, Jak kicked it in the fleshy, unarmored part of the lower belly. It went flying back and opened the scorpion claw. A bright green liquid gushed out and Jak dodged to the left. Some of the liquid landed on his clothing and it ate right through the cloth. Jak leapt to the side as another acid spurt came his way. The beast came rushing in and Jak stabbed it in the chest with his Eco Blade. To his surprise, he accomplished little more then to piss it off and get picked up by the shoulders by the two pincers.

Jak gritted his teeth as the tongs gripped him by his arms and pulled. He tried to kick the thing in the eye, but a rock hard lid closed over it before his blow landed. Suddenly a loud voice got his attention.

"Hey you freak! Why don't you stop picking on Jak and come and tangle with a real animal?" Jak looked to his right just in time to see Daxter throw a rock at the insect-like creature. As his enemy glanced to Daxter, Jak planted both his feet into it's eye. Hard. As the grip on his hand slackened Jak grabbed the forceps and back-flipped, effectively slamming it into the ground. It rolled with him and threw him into a wall as it recovered from the attack. Jak got up off the ground and got presented with a gift; a three inch long slash mark along his face. As he started to lose his temper, Jak's body's defense mechanisms began to activate. He gained strength and speed from the rush of adrenaline and his brain began to naturally block out pain signals.

Using most of his Red Eco in a single technique, Jak ran at the creature and threw a flying sidekick to the chest. Jak heard a cracking sound, but whether it was the monster's chest plating or his foot he wasn't sure. As he look up, he saw the monster's eye roll back so it was red again. A red beam shot out and he rolled to the side. As he looked at where it had impacted, he saw steam rising from the ground.

Jak vaulted up into the air as another beam was sent his way. Another beam caught him in the chest as he rushed in from the wall and he went flying backwards. As he impacted the wall, with which he was becoming fast friends, he saw another beam get fired at him. This one he successfully rebounded and it socked the creature in the chest. Jak ran at it and landed another flying sidekick with his right foot. As he felt the chest give way, Jak finished spinning counter-clockwise and delivered a jumping spinning back kick. The creature gasped for breath and slashed at Jak. He ducked and ran backwards, not eager to lose any limbs in the near future. Jak stood by the wall and waited for it to charge. As it did, Jak leaped into the air and smirked as the creature hit the wall with a comical splat behind him. Jak spun around and deflected another red beam from the thing's eye.

Jak saw another blast of acid fly at him and halted it with his Blue Eco Box. As the monster rushed at him, Jak shot the liquid right at it. As the acid melted the monster the monster from the inside out, it landed on the floor, its eye flipping back to red. Jak stabbed it right in the eye and it shrieked.

Jak covered his ears as the volume reached such a pitch that the glass in his goggles shattered and went flying around. As Jak took the goggles off, he called the miniature sun he had made and prepared to absorb it. He saw the creature moved out of the corner of his eyes and threw the ball right at it. The monster went up in flames and burned to ash.

Jak winced as the room was flooded with light, his pupils not used to the brightness. He saw another door and noticed how every time he went into a room, it was always a higher elevation. Jak wondered how high in the tower he had managed to go. As he walked into the next room, he hoped he was most of the way done, because he was starting to get seriously hungry. As he stopped and sat down, he took his backpack off and pulled Daxter out. He found the sandwich Keira had packed him and stepped into the next room. To his relief, a bright light met his eyes. Across the room was the sight he had been waiting for: The Oracle of the Green Eco Temple.

Once again, Jak crossed the chamber to the Oracle. As he approached it, the green eyes lit up. "You are to be commended for surviving another terrible trial, great one." The Oracle said in it's deep resounding voice. Jak's heart sunk at it's next words. "It is with much regret that I tell you that the worst times are yet to come." Jak and Daxter looked at each other with exhaustion in their eyes. The Oracle spoke again: "As you have already met my Blue and Yellow colored brothers, you are well aware that I will enhance your Econetic abilities, answer one question, and give you the Power Cells that reside in me"

"Oh! Oh! I got the perfect question! Were you guys as ugly in real life as your statues are?" Jak rolled his eyes, and he could have sworn he saw the Oracle do the same with its Power Cell eyeballs.

"We Oracles were unkempt, it is true. Our wisdom and knowledge earned us respect from our fellow villagers." Jak slapped his face: why did the Oracle answer such a stupid question?

"I cannot answer that question, warrior, without wasting an answer. I sense that you wish to now what I meant by 'the worst times are yet to come.' The Dark Lord will soon have another apprentice, and although I am forbidden from giving you vital information, I can give you a warning. Beware of the darker side of the heart. Anger, jealousy, fear, aggression, hatred… all lead to a dark path of destruction, devastation, and despair." Jak's body grew cold with this dark pronouncement, for it reminded him of Samos' first lessons.

"Ands now, it is time for you to receive new abilities warrior." Jak stepped into the green circle and felt the familiar stinging pass to a feeling of contentment. "Now you have a more powerful Green Eco Shield, as well as another ability I am forbidden from telling you about. In addition, I have given your body the ability to Channel two types of Eco simultaneously." Jak bowed to the Oracle before removing the Power Cells from its eyes.

Instead of a door opening behind the Oracle, like had happened in the two temples before, the floor shot him up. Jak landed next to a Blue Eco Vent and charged up. No sooner was he done than the floor launched him again before allowing him to recharge his Green, and then Red Eco Boxes. When Jak arrived at the Yellow Eco Vent, as he stored the Eco inside his box, he formed two Eco Blades. When he was shot up for the final time, he landed on the top of the Green Eco Temple. Jak could see the smoke coming from Volcanic Crater, and could make out a desert far to the north underneath the Spider Caves. He could no longer see his hometown, but he was able to just barely make out the steam erupting from the Fire Canyon. As Jak made to jump off the Temple, he met with an invisible barrier. A shriek from above made Jak look up. A gigantic bird seemed to be spiraling down towards him; Jak correctly assumed that this was the boss of the Green Eco Temple, the Guardian of the Green Eco Oracle.

The bird pinned its wings and dive-bombed Jak. He leapt up and over it and dived into its back. As he landed he brought his swords down in an X-shaped slash. To his surprise, his swords were sucked right into the bird's back. Jak back-flipped off as it ruffled itself. As he landed he noticed just how big this thing really was. Each of its wings were as big as him. It let out a shriek and charged him, trying to crush him with its talons. Jak bobbed and weaved in and out, peppering it with small Yellow Eco blasts. Just like with the swords, they seemed to be suck up into the bird's flesh "Fool." Jak looked with shock at his opponent, surprised that it spoke. "You try to defeat me with Eco? I will show you what I, Gohma, Queen of all birds can do." As it finished its pronouncement, it's mask that covered the majority of its face seemed to glow even more golden. A massive beam of Yellow Eco was launched at Jak. He caught it with his hands and absorbed as much as he could into his Yellow Eco Box. The two swords that remained he threw away, not eager to give his opponent any more power. As Gohma dived at him again he erected a shield of Green Eco. Just as with his swords, it did nothing except get pulled into the mask covering the bird's face. As it's body glowed green, Jak assumed it was giving itself extra stamina.

It took flight again and Jak decided to match his opponent in the air. They both flied around, circling each other. Jak decided to take full advantage and Channeled Red Eco as he was flying. To his surprise, it no longer hurt like getting trampled by a rampaging Yakow, but it made him feel more confident. He flew at it and landed on the mask, which immediately began sucking his energy away. He started hammering away at the skull, but with all his might he could not even produce a crack. Realizing it was futile, Jak leapt off and absorbed the beam of Red Eco the mask sent back at him.

As he landed, Jak realized it was almost a stalemate. If he touched it while Channeling, it would just either send his power back at him, which he could reabsorb, or heal itself. But if Jak never gave it Green Eco, it would be unable. Therefore, the advantage was his.  
"I'm getting tired of standing around, are we going to fight or not?" Gohma called as she dived once again. Jak ran in and landed on the bird without Channeling. He quickly discovered he hadn't really thought past that, as it once again took flight, with him barely hanging on. He poked it in the eye and it barrel rolled, sending him into the air. He stabilized himself and was smacked to the ground by a gigantic wing. As he impacted the ground, Gohma pinned him there and flicked his Blue and Yellow Eco Boxes on. After draining Jak of those energies and she then bled his Red and Green Eco Boxes dry. She then charged up her mask so that it rapidly flashed blue, then red, then yellow, then green.

"Hey, Queenie!" Gohma swiveled around to look at Daxter. He was holding Jak's Hookshot that Jak had stored in his backpack. He was aiming it with great difficulty at the eyes in the mask. He fired and one of the eyes was punctured. Gohma took off and Jak leaped up onto her talons. As he struggled to keep his balance, he noticed small claps on the mask. He tried to undo them, but his hands were much too big. As he touched it, he felt his body Channeling Blue Eco. After draining as much he dared, he flew to the ground. He scooped Daxter up and dropped him on Gohma's head. As Daxter shrieked in protest, Jak pointed to the clasps. Daxter nodded and started fumbling with them.

Jak grabbed the Hookshot and flew into the air once again. This time he used it like a close-range weapon, using the metal tip as a sword. To his pleasure, every time he made a slash, it healed: his strategy was to make Gohma use up all of her Green Eco. When they stopped healing, Jak really went on the offensive.

"What in the name of Legatee is taking Daxter so long?" Jak wondered as he saw his diminutive friend on Gohma's back. He stopped pondering when Gohma shot a beam of Blue Eco at him. To his surprise, Jak stopped moving. As he flew towards Gohma, the bird was moving faster than he was. So was Daxter. Jak realized the Blue Eco was slowing him down. He was smacked by the wing again and hit by another Blue Eco beam. This one accelerated him so that his landing was much harder than it had to be. Jak dodged as the bird once again tried to stab him. He absorbed Yellow Eco just as the mask fell off the head and onto the ground.

In a flash, Jak sliced the bird's head off and incinerated the skull. As the flames died, a breeze carried the dust away and Jak sighed. At last, at long last this nightmare of a Temple was complete. A bright glow off to the side caught his attention and he whirled around. Exhausted though he was, he could not allow his adversary to see it, because what they didn't know could neither help them or hurt him. The crown that the bird had been wearing was glowing brilliantly. As it melted away, a dozen Power Cells fell to the ground.  
"No wonder this thing was so damned hard to crack," Jak thought as he picked up the twelve Power Cells. A Warp Gate appeared from a hidden panel in the floor and Jak set it for the one in Volcanic Crater. As Jak jumped through, he thought with longing of the bed that was waiting for him at the house.

Jak landed and a grunt caught his attention as he walked towards the bedroom. He saw Keira sitting by the window facing the entrance to the Volcanic Crater. Jak smiled softly as he realized she had been waiting for him to return. Jak walked over to her and picked her up. As he carried her to the room, the fatigue and exhaustion on his body finally began to affect him. As he laid her down on the bed, he finally collapsed next to her. He crawled away, barely able to move, but not wanting Keira to find him sleeping next to her. It was different in the cave, they were both in danger of dying from hypothermia. As he made it to the sofa, he figured that was about as far as he was going to get, and he would take it. As he collapsed on the sofa, he smiled, happy he got to hold Keira again.

"Damn that elf! If it wasn't for him, I could have gone past that girl and escaped…" Escuro thought as she pulled herself out of the lava. It had been a long swim from one side of the lava pool to the other, but she had made it. She was now trying to climb into a small cave. It wasn't easy, as she only had two arms that were sheared off at the elbow. As she collapsed onto the floor, she thought bitterly that she would have revenge against Gol for stealing her life and death. And, if possible, she would re-challenge that little insect and show him what it meant to mess with her. She collapsed on the floor, unaware that creatures had emerged from the shadows to look at her pathetic burned, mutilated and scorched body. One of the creatures raised its hand and Escuro's body was levitated off the floor. Theyreceded into the darkness her form following them into the cave, as the creature conversed rapidly between themselves. The were peculiar: neither Lurker nor elfish, but somehow looking like both, and yet like neither one.

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Hey guys, sorry about all this. I know this chapter probably sucked more than anything else out there, but I found this one very hard. I also apologize for the suckiness of the Temple, how I barely moved the plot along, the many bosses, Jak getting his ass kicked repeatedly… the list goes on and on. Anyway, with luck Chapter Nineteen will be much better. The heroes will finally continue their way north through the Spider Caves, and I think that this one will be easier to write.


	19. A Grievous or is it Generous Proposal?

Waves to you all, suffering from third degree burns. "Hey everyone. These are from my friend, who gave me the harshest e-mail ever. It was a flame of immense proportions. Anyway, hopefully, not all of you are happy with my condition, and to those who are… well I hope this chapter makes up for the horrendous one that I made before."

Red Mage 04- I think I give myself some credit, but I know that there are a lot of people out there better then me. Cough you cough. I'm glad you did see through my attempt to show that Jak is still mortal, meaning he can get hurt. A lot. Hopefully the third party idea will go down well with the other guys who read this, which I know isn't a lot to begin. Like you read, their mostly in it for themselves or the world, depends on the point of view. I guess they are well compensated in the end. I made Gol the stereotypical villain, meaning that although he is powerful, he loses that because he is proud, arrogant, stupid, selfish, unrealistic, etc. You are right, you should never promise someone something that one day they realize they will never get (particularly as you said, a girl) but also drive them to royally kick your ass once their brain has processed the fact that you did and continued to lie to you for an extended amount of time. And sadly, Gol is making that very mistake. Well, here is what you were looking forward to, though sometimes I still wonder why. By antics I assume you mean Daxter, and I think he will have a lot to say now. He's been quiet lately and that's not like him at all. Trials? Oh, I think I can manage… (sits down and grins manically while rubbing hands together, smiling evilly, and pushing the "make life harder for Jak and Daxter and everyone else that they know" button).

Animedragongirl- Thanks for the heads up on the War of the Ancients. I wasn't gonna check until the 14th, so thanks again. Sorry again for Chapter Eighteen sucking so badly; hopefully this one will make it to you. (crosses fingers). It's like I said before, I couldn't think of many trials for the Green Eco Temple. I promise, the Red Eco Temple will be much better, as will everything else. I hope. In reality, you were my saving grace; I didn't think of making the Temple like a greenhouse.

Lauren- I'll make sure that Jak narrowly avoids death next time. Actually, I got the idea from Legend of Zelda, and the Wall Master. The "stupid creatures" oozed every kind of Eco. But only Yellow for the first ones. Yes, the bird had a mask and it was rich with Eco, which Jak began Channeling as soon as he touched it. Blue Eco is the energy of motion, meaning it can speed things up, slow things down, or make inanimate objects move, and Jak will learn a couple of new tricks before this fanfic is done. Uh, Wednesday is something, but I don't see why you liked this one so much.

Disclaimer: I am pretty sure that you all know this by now, but for those lawyers with nothing better to do than to scan through fan fiction and calling attention to the companies that someone did not put a disclaimer in it and costing said author everything he owns: I don't own this. On a different, and yet more random, note, THREE DAYS 'TILL JAK X: COMBAT RACING!

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A Grievous (or is it Generous) Proposal

"You pervert!" the girl shrieked as she threw Daxter out of the female dressing room. Jak, Keira, and Benedict rolled their eyes as Daxter went flying into a coat rack. Jak went over and pulled Daxter off the hangers, wondering if Daxter's skull was un-crushable; he had hit the metal quite hard. After waking up at noon, Keira Daxter and him had eaten and decided to explore the town before they ventured into the Spider Caves, something Jak wished he could agree. While Keira had been trying on a new pair of shorts that changed colors in the sun (Jak was sure to keep an eye on Daxter during this point) they had met up with Benedict, who had told Jak that he was sorry for the way he had behaved the other day. Jak shrugged it off and

"Sheesh, what's her problem?" Daxter moaned as he came to and rubbed his forehead. Jak and Benedict looked at each other with raised eyebrows and understood by the other's gaze that the would allow Keira to answer that question.

"Well Daxter, girls usually don't take too kindly to a guy sneaking into a room where they're getting changed and then having that guy point out how nice they look. And they especially don't like it when, as they yell at the guy for spying on them, the guy stares at their chest." Keira said conversationally as she paid for her new shorts. The cashier just gave them all a look saying that he was wondering why they were talking to a rat, and more importantly, why the rat was talking back to them. As they walked outside, the cashier shook his head and simply muttered to himself to get more sleep.

"Is that all I did?" Daxter asked. Once again, Jak and Benedict exchanged incredulous looks. "I don't get it, I have no problem with women looking at me while _I_ undress. That's an invitation baby." He added with a wink. Keira didn't bother responding beyond rolling her eyes, but Benedict glared at Daxter, his glower unnoticed by any.

Jak looked over at Benedict who smiled at him. Jak knew that smile all too well: not only did Benedict do something he didn't want him to see or he was about to ask a favor. In this case, he was right in both aspects.

"Say Jak, I was wondering something. Keira said that you might be willing to teach me a thing or two about Channeling. I mean, if you had some trouble on your quest, and since it's only supposed to get harder from here on, I won't last very long. I know you got some real good tricks up your sleeve, like that blade you make out of Yellow Eco. You think that offer to train me is still open?" Benedict asked, crossing his fingers as he finished. Jak grinned and nodded before holding up one finger. Taking that to mean wait a minute, Benedict leaned up against a building while Jak went back to Santar's hut. A few seconds later, Jak came back, holding a long thin object.

Jak walked up Benedict and put his arm around his shoulder. He handed Benedict the wooden bat that he had been carrying and pointed to the arena where they had sparred two days ago. Benedict followed Jak, slinging the baseball bat over his shoulder. When they arrived at the arena, Jak summoned a blade of Yellow Eco. Benedict eyed it, both apprehensively and covetously: he had seen Jak do tremendous amounts of damage with that and he wanted that power. Jak sat down and took out a piece of paper and a pencil. He wrote some directions down and handed the paper to Benedict.

"I learned this by watching another person do this, but there were unusual conditions around us, so that may have had something to do with it. Summon a ball of Yellow Eco and try to flatten it out into a length about the size of the bat." Benedict read these directions quickly and summoned the Yellow Eco with no problem, but he could not concentrate hard enough to make it take the form of a sword. Jak watched the small sphere closely, but it did not waver at all. Jak tapped Benedict on the shoulder (he had closed his eyes to try to clear his mind) and pointed the next set of directions.

"If you can't form the Eco Blade this way, we'll practice another way. Try to spread the Yellow Eco around the bat, and we'll use that instead." Benedict set the bat down on the floor and cracked his knuckles. He made his hands glow yellow and he spread the Eco over the bat.

Which promptly burst into flames. Jak and Benedict both hurried away from the small inferno that had a second ago been a wooden bat. Benedict looked over at Jak, who looked surprised. He flew back to the house and came back with another bat. He handed a second piece of paper to Benedict.

"Use the bat for now and we'll work on forming on the sword later. Until you can, me and Keira will let you use an Eco Saber. Those are probably more useful, 'cause the last time I fought with an Eco Blade, the enemy sucked up the energy. While you use the bat, I'll use my sword, but I'll use only enough power to, if I hit you, make it leave a red mark."

"All right. Just don't turn me into an elfin shish kabob." Benedict joked good-naturedly. Jak mockingly pretended to think it over, stroking the nonexistent hairs on his chin, but smiled and shrugged. He formed an Eco Blade and began to teach Benedict stances, parries, attacks and blocks. After three hours, they decided to take a break. Jak flew up to the Sage's hut, and Benedict stared at him. For all the help Jak had given him on sword fighting, he still hadn't taught him how to fly. He begrudgingly walked back to the hut to find it empty. Jak flew in through the window, two sandwiches and a bottle of soda clutched in his hands. He looked mildly surprised to find Benedict in the house. The two of them sat down at the table and bean discussing (Jak writing his responses) the Spider Caves. Benedict had never been inside, so he didn't know anything about it, and Jak's Uncle's map, while useful, did not trace any path through the Spider Caves. Jak found this fact particularly irksome, as his uncle had traced detailed avenues of almost every other place.

After eating, the two of them went back to the Arena and engaged in a real "sword" fight. Jak disarmed Benedict a few times, but on the whole, he had to admit his fellow Channeler was fast becoming a good swordsman. They parted ways when the sky began to darken.

"Same place tomorrow?" Benedict called as Jak called. Jak nodded and held up ten fingers. "At ten?" Jak nodded. Benedict gave Jak a thumbs up and went home. After putting away a dozen Yakow ribs, he went in to see his parents, who he had not told that he would be leaving soon.

"Um guys." he asked hesitantly. The two of them looked up for their books.

"Yes dear?" his mom asked.

"You know those guys that arrived the other day?"

"You mean the kid, the rat, the Green Sage and that cute girl you've been eyeing?" his dad asked as he smiled. Benedict turned slightly pink, but otherwise gave no indication he had heard his father's last three words.

"Yea. They're going to see the Dark Eco Sage to turn the rat back into a normal elf," he said, deciding that the truth would probably forbid his parents from letting him go. "And I was wondering whether or not I could go with them. I mean, I've been done with school for two years, and I just quit my old job as a quarryman. I have nothing else to do, so I thought it might be a good idea."

"This is your decision son, not ours." his dad said, standing up. A man standing tall at six and half feet, and nearly two and a half feet across the chest, one would be surprised at how gentle he could be. He laid his hand softly against his son's shoulder and looked into his offspring's eyes. "I can't make this choice for you, but your mother and I could tell you what would happen."

"What would happen if what."

"If you decided to go with them. You would be in terrible danger from the Lurkers, not to mention the natural elements of the desert." his mother said.

"On the other hand, you would see and learn things that you could never experience if you stay here." his dad added.

"Well, to be honest, I had already said I was gonna go, but I figured I should ask you."

"Why do you want to leave this place," his mom asked.

"Its not so much that I want to leave here, but I want to go elsewhere. I want to meet new people, see new places, maybe earn a name for myself." Benedict said.

"Well alright then. Like your father said, its not our decision to make, but if you want to go so badly, I want you to go then. Maybe you could visit Uncle Plagius on Pampas Islet. We haven't talked to him in ages."

"Okay. Thanks you guys," Benedict said as he left. He went to bed that night feeling much happier than he had in a long time.

* * *

"Jak?" Keira asked as she combed her hair. He looked up from the map he had been studying, trying to gauge how long it would take to traverse the Spider Caves. "What do you think of Benedict?" He thought a second before shrugging. Keira rolled her eyes at him. "I'm serious Jak. Don't you get an odd feeling when your around him, like taking him with us isn't such a good idea?" Jak nodded slowly; he had gotten that very same feeling.

"Oh so what. So he gives me the heebie-geebies too. You don't see me whining about it." Daxter said.

"What about you Jak? Do you think he should come along with us?" Keira asked.

Jak thought about the pros and cons of leaving him. To be honest, he didn't like the way Benedict stared at Keira when he thought no one was looking. And he did have some anger problems. But on the other hand, if they didn't let him come, then Gol might recruit him for his side. And they had already said they could come, and if they turned him down now, then he might resent them for it.

Jak nodded to Keira, saying that he thought Benedict should accompany them. "Okay. In that case, I think you guys should take these with you when you go." She held out two Eco Sabers. Jak looked questioningly at them. "Remember how you said that bird absorbed you Eco Blade. I think you should take these along just in case you run into the same problem." Jak smiled and took them from her, storing them in his backpack which was already filled with three days worth of food. He turned around and watched Keira in the mirror. She spotted him staring at her and turned pink. She turned around to say goodnight only to find him right in front of her. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Jak looked at her, his eyes burning into her emerald eyes. She stared back into his cerulean ones, neither of them talking. Jak bent down, his mouth closing in on hers. Keira stood on her tip-toes, eager to meet his lips with her own. They got closer, and both of them closed in on each other...

"Hey you guys! Get a room!" Daxter called as he walked in, a bowl of popcorn almost as big as him in his arms. The two of them broke apart, blushing furiously. Keira glared at the Ottsel as he sat down on the sofa and walked over to the television. Jak glared at his best friend as well for his impeccable timing. His anger was siphoned off as he watched his diminutive friend attempt to turn on the television, jumping into the air. Jak kneeled down and turned the TV on for his friend and sat down next to the orange rodent. Keira sat down next to Jak and attempted to snuggle up next to him. It was made slightly difficult due to the fact that Daxter had chosen to sit between them. She glared at him once again before leaning her head against Jak's shoulder. He hesitantly put his arm around her shoulders and relaxed when she responded positively.

After a horror movie, the two of them went to bed. Jak woke up early the next day and went over Benedict's house. After he shook the sand out of his eyes, Benedict accompanied Jak to the Arena once more. By one 'o clock, Jak had finally taught Benedict how to move things with Blue Eco, but he was still having difficulty moving himself. They stopped by Benedict's house for lunch this time before setting back to work. When Benedict left at five, Jak stayed behind. After he got over the satisfaction of teaching Benedict how to use telekinetic powers and how to slightly control the direction of his Yellow Eco beams, he summoned an Eco Blade. There was something he had wanted to try ever since he had gotten back from the Green Eco Temple. He Channeled extra Yellow Eco around the sword and swung. The extra Eco left a slash shaped beam that sheared the top of a stalagmite off. He slammed his blade down on the ground and four thin beams traveled along the ground. Jak smiled satisfactorily as he recalled his blade.

Daxter let out a low whistle. "Nice new trick Jak. Now those Lurkers will think twice before attacking you, eh buddy?" Jak grinned and nodded.

As Jak walked back into the house he removed the carpet in the living room. He went into the hidden room underneath where Wartstal lived. "Hello Jak," Wartstal said as Jak entered. "How goes the training?" Jak shrugged, but as usual, Daxter spoke up.

"It was great. Jak has been teaching Benedict everything he knows, and I've been teaching Jak everything _I_ know. Just before I taught him how to send a slash of Yellow Eco from his Eco Blade." Wartstal nodded before turning to Jak.

"So Jak, when did you think of that." Jak shrugged. "Well good luck in the Spider Caves tomorrow." Jak nodded and began to climb the ladder. "Oh Jak, Samos said that he thinks the head of a Precursor Robot is buried in the Caves, so there is bound to be a large Lurker presence there." Jak nodded once more to show that he had heard. He went upstairs and proceeded to devour three Yakow sandwiches, aided and abetted by Daxter. After dinner, he went to find Samos, who was deep in meditation. He turned to leave.

"Jak." Samos called as Jak went through the door. Jak turned around in time to see Samos touch down to the floor. "Here," Samos said as he walked up to Jak, two black cloaks in his arms. Jak took them with some confusion. "Your light skin will stick out like a sore thumb in the darkness of Spider Caves. These cloaks will make it easier to move around." Jak nodded and put them around his shoulder. He went to Keira's room and gave her a hug good-bye. After completing what he considered the most important thing of the day, Jak went to sleep.

Once again, Jak woke up early, about thirty minutes after the sun came up. He made sure his backpack was packed before he left his room. Before he left the house, Jak stopped in Keira's bedroom. She was on her stomach, the blanket disheveled and the hair mussed up. Jak turned her around on her back and watched her breath for a few seconds. He brought the blanket up from her stomach up to her neck before giving her a swift kiss on the forehead. He grabbed the two cloaks and went over Benedict's again. After waking him up, Jak handed the teenage Channeler a cloak and an Eco Saber. The two of them arrived at the entrance to the Spider Caves and went into the darkness.

The cave quickly dropped in temperature, and the two Channelers noticed how their cloaks kept them warm. They jumped down two ledges and saw stone columns rising up out of what appeared to be a bottomless pit. They looked at each other. Jak motioned to Benedict that he should go first and Benedict nodded.

"Ladies first," Daxter commented as Benedict hopped from one column to the next. Jak flicked his friend and followed Benedict even further into Weyard's underground. After landing on the fifth and final column, Jak jumped once more and wound up back on solid ground. Benedict smirked at Daxter.

"Ladies first and eunuchs second," he muttered. Daxter opened his mouth, at an apparent loss for words (an all-time first), while Jak appeared merely puzzled. Benedict opened his mouth to explain what a eunuch was but Daxter stopped him.

"Don't tell him. Its something a guy needs to find out himself." Benedict shrugged but kept silent. The three of them began to hike even further underground. After about ten minutes of switch-backs, the Jak and Benedict were tired already. They stopped to take a five minute break and admired the scenery. Wild mushrooms grew everywhere, their caps light green around the edges and getting darker near the interior. Moonstone colored crystals were sticking out of the ground walls and ceiling. The effect of them was to have the entire cavern lit up. Benedict sheared one as they continued into the caves.

"Souvenir," he said in response to Jak's puzzled look. "That I intend to give to Keira," he muttered when Jak was out of earshot. He put it in his pocket and ran to catch up with Jak. As they got closer to what looked like a large cavern, they noticed that it appeared to get damper and damper. Drops of water dripped down from the ceiling. Jak personally was happy about this; the noise would give the two of them some audio cover.

As they arrived in a chamber, they saw that it was not held up naturally. Humongous pillars of wood littered the place, keeping it from caving in. Jak and Benedict watched the crystals glow around the cavern, taking away their cover. A moving shadow in the corner caught Jak's eye and he shot a small ball of Yellow Eco at it. A small screech followed, proceeded by a spider falling. The two of them were suddenly aware of scuttling sounds that were echoing. Jak summoned an Eco Blade and Benedict activated his Eco Saber. A score of spiders dropped from the ceiling. The three that landed too close to the duo were instantly sliced up. Jak pointed to himself then left, and then to Benedict and then right. Benedict nodded and the two of them went in separate directions. Benedict carved a path of destruction through the Spiders that he encountered, while, Jak used a combination of his Blade and regular punches and kicks to take out his half. When they were done, Jak turned around and waved to Benedict. Out of the corner of his eye, Jak saw a Spider in the distance lower itself on a web. It spat a glob of Dark Eco at Benedict. Jak ran at Benedict and tackled him.

"Hey! What was that for?" Benedict asked from the ground.

"Hey, lighten up." Daxter said. "It isn't everyday that you narrowly avoid getting made into Dark Eco Stew." Benedict looked incredulously at the Ottsel and then saw a hole where he had been standing seconds ago, the edges tainted with Dark Eco and he understood.

"Thanks man." He muttered as he stood up. The two of them saw another Dark Eco glob and dodged it. Benedict shot a small sphere of Yellow Eco through it's head and that was the end of that conflict. The two of them continued to the other side of chamber. To their surprise, there was only one exit. Jak in particular thought that there in such a large chamber, there would be multiple exits. The solitary exit was a long corridor. A Precursor floating platform was hovering in front of a dark abyss. The two of them hopped on it and it carried them to a wooden platform. Four Precursor platforms were moving in complicated patterns, and Jak decided to go first. He jumped to the first, then the second. He took a stepping leap to the next one, overshooting a bit so he would land perfectly. He leaped straight up to catch the third one. He planned the forth jump in his mind, but it didn't go as planned. He slipped and would have fallen if he had not gripped the platform with his hand. He pulled himself up and then leaped to solid ground. Benedict followed Jak's path, but fell short when to came to getting to the ground. Jak levitated him up to avoid losing his friend, for which Benedict muttered an embarrassed thanks.

"Hey, take a look at this," Daxter called near another gap. Jak and Benedict went over to check out whatever Daxter had seen and found the rodent to be observing a spider web. Before Benedict could make a comment about wasting time, Daxter jumped onto the thin web. To their surprise, he simply bounced up and down on it. "Check it out, I'm in the circus," he said as he did various acrobatic tricks in the air. Benedict and Jak chuckled as he landed on the web on his face. Jak caught him as he went into the air again and leapt onto the web. To his relief, it supported him as well and sent him flying into the air. He landed and stood up just as Benedict landed behind him. They stood up and went down a corridor. This one ended in another chamber, this one brightly lit. A lone figure in a black cloak was standing in the twenty foot big room. He looked up as they entered. His eyes were bright yellow, with black slits in the center.

"Welcome. I've been waiting for you," the figure said. Jak guessed it was a male from the deepness of the voice. It didn't appear hostile, but whatever it was gave Jak an uneasy feeling all the same.

"Who are you?" Benedict asked, unnecessarily aggressively in Jak's opinion.

"I am Gravis, and I am here to challenge you both to a fight." it said as it ignited a dark purple Eco Saber.

"Why do you wanna fight us?" Benedict asked as he and Jak fired up their own Eco Sabers; Benedict's was green and Jak's was red.

"Because it is Master Gol's will." Gravis replied.

"You're with Gol?" Benedict asked. Gravis nodded and Benedict charged it. Jak tried to stop him but couldn't. When he was about five feet away, Gravis stuck his right hand out and Dark Lightning streamed from his fingertips. Benedict yelled in pain as it caught him. Gravis used the electricity to slam Benedict into a wall. He collapsed there and Gravis then turned to Jak.

"As you see, my Channeling abilities are far beyond yours. Back down." Jak shook his head and Gravis sighed before launching another stream of Dark Lightning. Jak raised his Saber and the Dark Lightning was absorbed into it instead of rebounding. Gravis put one arm behind his back, a deliberate taunting move. Jak glared and ran forward. Gravis sent more Dark Lightning but Jak absorbed it as he approached. Not until he was within a foot of Gravis and starting his swing did his opponent move.

Jak swung for Gravis' head but his attack was blocked. With lightning speed he reversed his blade and came in to the left at Gravis' midriff, but again was blocked. He back off an inch and stabbed, but once again his attack was parried away from his adversary. He spun around and aimed his Saber right at Gravis' head. To his annoyance, he was blocked again. He came in up and to the right, yet Gravis proved to fast for him. He swiftly parried once more before coming twice: low and in opposite directions. Jak was barely able to block Gravis, and he was pushed to his knees as Gravis used brute force to try to unbalance him. He pushed down harder on Jak, trying to either drive the Channeler to his knees or slice his head in half, he didn't really care which. Jak shoved Gravis back and sliced at his waist again. Gravis did a whole back-flip over Jak's head and landed opposite him. Jak swung around to prevent his hair from being parted with his scalp.

The two of them leapt back and tried to get a bearing of where to attack next. Or at least Jak did, whilst Gravis merely picked at his teeth with his free hand. Jak saw this and immediately became angry, seeing that his opponent was dishonoring him by toying with him. He took a deep breath, knowing that to let his anger rule the fight was to lose. In the alcove where Benedict had been tossed, he tried to move, but his muscles were still shocked from the high-voltage damage they had just sustained and would not hold him up.

"Channeler Jak, you disappoint me; Gol sees you as a worthy opponent and here I am in danger of falling asleep. Surely you can do better," he taunted as he twirled his blade and came in for Jak's shoulder and then his arm. Both attacks were blocked, and the two of them locked blades as they circled each other. Jak broke free and spun around. Gravis blocked Jak's next three attempts on his life and the lock ed blades once more. Jak charged up a ball of Yellow Eco and Gravis waggled his finger, a motion that nearly made Jak lose control on his emotions.

"Now, now Jak. If you are going to use your Channeling abilities, then rest assured," he said as his eyes narrowed, "that I will use mine." He ended this pronouncement with a blast of Dark Lightning. If Jak could make any verbal response, he would have screamed till his throat dried up. As it was he could only thrash around in mid-air until Gravis stopped his attack. He collapsed on the floor, his body still not past the unbelievable quantities of pain it had just been put through. He released his grip on the Eco Saber and it shut off, a fail safe. Gravis looked down at Jak before finally holding his blade in both hands; up until this point he had been using one while keeping the other behind his back.

"Now, it is finished," he hissed as his blade came down. Benedict watched as the Eco Saber got closer and closer to his friend and teacher. He let out an indistinguishable roar and leapt from his spot, turning his Eco Saber on. He stopped Gravis from shearing Jak in half about a second before it happened. Gravis looked up at Benedict with mild surprise.

"Brave of you, but I would have thought you had learned your lesson and not played with the big boys." Gravis taunted.

Benedict responded with a sarcastic comment of his own. "I do take a long time to teach," he said as he glared at the Lurker. They broke away and Benedict charged in, dodging the Dark Lightning Gravis sent his way. "But then again, pain teaches me faster."

"Then perhaps you will allow me to further your education." Gravis snarled. He spun his blade in his hand above his head a few times before swinging it at Benedict. The Channeler spun his Saber to block it and spun his body around the Lurker. Gravis spun with Benedict, never taking his eyes off his opponent. He blocked a blow that would have severed his head from its shoulders had it connected and they locked blades again. He sighed as Benedict attempted to out-muscle him.

"I guess I shouldn't have expected a challenge. After all, why should I expect anything better from the runt of the litter." Benedict's eyes widened at this statement. He hated being called short, as he was two years older than Jak and still only about Jak's height. He spun away and began a furious series of attacks. Gravis yawned as he almost lazily blocked every single of Benedict's assaults, only further enraging the Channeler.

Unfortunately, Benedict's anger would prove to be his downfall. He let out a roar as he once again sliced wildly at Gravis. Gravis blocked his attack and appeared to work very hard to stop Benedict's next onslaught. Gravis finally caught a break and sent Benedict flying into the cave wall hard enough to leave a silhouette of his body behind with a single kick.

Jak jumped in, attempting to catch Gravis off guard. He failed and began another duel with the Lurker.

"Jak!" Benedict shouted. Jak looked over to his friend. "Catch!" Benedict called as he tossed Jak his Eco Saber. Jak caught the Saber and ignited it. As he turned it on he spun around and struck Gravis with the red one, then with green one. Gravis parried and riposted both attacks. Benedict watched Jak fight and although he was doing much better than before it was still no contest as to who had the superior swordsmanship. After all, Gravis was blocking two blades with one, and was once again using only one hand.

Jak swung for Gravis' head with his blade, then tried to cut Gravis at the knees with Benedicts. Both of them were blocked with unworldly speed. Jak spun around, continuously swinging his twin Eco Sabers at various targets an attempt to bring Gravis down. It was in vain. Every thrust, every chop, every swing Jak made was either blocked or parried.

Suddenly, Gravis went on the offensive and finally began using both his hands. Even with two Eco Sabers, Jak was hard put to block Gravis' rapid assaults. But Gravis finally broke through and kneed Jak in the stomach. As Jak kneeled, he continued trying to defend himself. Benedict watched through the haze covering his eyes from the pain and became suspicious and doubtful that Jak had taught him everything he knew. Gravis delivered to Jak's chest a spinning back kick and Jak was hurled into the wall next to Benedict. Gravis smirked at the two of them before shocking them all with Dark Lightning for five seconds. He finished torturing his victims and simply made a potion with his hand that looked like he was tipping a hat. He laughed as he dissipated into the shadows.

Groaning, the twin Channelers stood up shakily, leaning on each other, not caring about their pride. Jak was baffled at how good of a swordsman Gravis was. With one hand, he had defended himself, only using two at the end to completely blow him away.

Benedict, meanwhile, was wondering about the rather unorthodox technique Jak had used, with all the spinning and twirling. He didn't say anything, but decided to keep a closer eye on jak, and see what else his friend was hiding from him.

"Well, now that we've all gotten a nice ass -kicking, whaddya say we get out of here before that guy comes back, eh?" Daxter said from Jak's shoulder. For the first time, bith elves simply nodded, not wanting to make any noise. They leaned on each other as they walked down a corridor. Jak saw an odd light coming from one direction and stopped. Benedict continued moving and slipped down a tunnel lined with slippery rock. Jak saw his companion fall and he dived down after him. The slide ended over a bottomless pit. Jak fumbled around for his Hookshot before remembering that he had given it to Keira so she could use it for whatever she wanted.

Since he had no other choice, Jak summoned an Eco Blade and dug it into the wall. He slid down and grabbed Benedict's hand. Their speed slowly decreased as they got closer to the bottom. Jak looked down after they had come to a complete stop and praised the Precursors that he had thought to stop them. Less than an inch beneath Benedict was a Dark Eco pool, one of three that littered the room they had landed in.

"Uh, Jak. You have any ideas that will get us outta here while keeping us alive?" Benedict asked. Jak nodded and pulled Benedict up. His sword slide down and Jak instantly flipped his Blue Eco Bon on, levitating the two of them over the Dark Eco pool. He flew them down to the floor and they collapsed, utterly exhausted.

"What do you say we close off the pools and then get some sleep Jak?" Benedict asked, almost groaning as he talked. Jak nodded wearily and got to his feet. Benedict tossed his Eco Saber to Jak, who took off while activating them. Jak flew along the ceiling, hacking off stalactites and causing them to fall onto the floor. Benedict levitated them into the pools, sealing them off and ensuring that the Dark Eco would not harm anything. As Jak landed, he tossed Benedict his Saber back. They saw a nice little alcove and snuck into it. Jak fell asleep with his cloak covering Daxter, since the last thing they needed right now was to fight an army because the Lurkers had seen the bright color. Benedict leaned up against the wall as well, his entire body within the confines of this black cloak, camouflaging him with the darkness and hiding their presence.

Benedict woke suddenly. He didn't know what had caused it, only that there was someone here who shouldn't be. He looked around and saw a hooded figure prowling around. He quietly got up and made his way over to it.

"Finally, I was beginning to think you would never show up." Benedict instantly drew his Eco Saber, he recognized that voice.

"Come for a rematch Gravis? I'm gonna give you the biggest ass-kicking in the history of Weyard." he snarled.

"Come, come. Don't bluff, I beat you before quite literally with one hand behind my back. I have not come to engage you this time, only to talk."

"I've got nothing to say to you." Benedict spat.

"I see. Well then, perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps you don't have what I thought you did."

Almost against his will, Benedict became intrigued by those words. "And just what is it that you think I have?"

"Potential. I see that you have more power than Jak. You saw how easily I vanquished him did you not? I see you becoming so powerful that I would have to try to beat you."

"Thank you for the flattery, but don't try to trick me. Jak is a stronger Channeler than I am." Benedict growled, even though saying it was a real blow to his ego.

"That's not true. You have done things he hasn't." Gravis countered.

"Name one."

"Escuro. Jak has fought her four times, and never did he damage her. You on the other hand, killed her neatly. Do you know why?"

Benedict thought back to that day, when he saw the demon run at Keira. "Because I let my anger run away with me."

"Exactly! And that is what differs you and Jak. He keeps such a tight reign on his emotions. It was easy to defeat him, even when he used two blades, simply because he was so predictable. But you, when I taunted you, it became difficult. I was nearly hit a few times when you were ruled by your passions. Think! By allowing your rage to consume you, you became a more powerful Channeler than Jak."

Benedict played the fight over in his mind. He saw Gravis struggling as he attacked blindly out of anger. "But that isn't how I'm supposed to act. Santar once told me that letting your passions rule is a path to a road of destruction and despair."

"He lied. Santar knows that anger, fear, hatred: they all lend the body extra power. He simply didn't want you to experience that power out of jealousy. He is a Sage, and is not allowed to be ruled by his emotions. He saw that if you gave into them, you would become too powerful to control."

Benedict shook his head clear of the fog that had been clouding his mind. "Enough! I won't allow you to seduce me into becoming Gol's slave."

"As you wish. But know this; Gol is ruled by emotions, and he has been taught by one of the most powerful Sages of all time. He was taught by Decido. If you would become his student, you would gain the power to stop Keira from dying."

"What… what did you say?"

"You heard. Focus on the future and you will see your beloved dead, because you did not allow yourself to become more powerful."

"How dare you say that," Benedict said as he rushed in, swinging his Saber. Gravis simply laughed and dissolved into the shadows, leaving his last words to haunt Benedict.

"Benedict, if one is to understand the great mystery of the balance of Eco, one must study all its aspects, not just the dogmatic, narrow view of the Sages. That is all Gol is trying to do: study all aspects of Eco. If you wish to become a complete and wise leader, you must embrace a larger view. Be careful of the Sages, and of Jak, Benedict." He paused. " They fear you. In time they will destroy you. Let Gol train you and you will achieve a power greater than that of any Channeler."

Benedict snorted at Gravis' words and went back to where Jak was lying down. As he laid down, he suddenly felt a brief headache, but it passed quickly. He closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

* * *

Jak ran to Keira and inspected her body. She was severely burned everywhere and her

clothes were in shreds. Jak blushed slightly as he saw part of her chest but quickly went to work, healing all of her injuries. He gazed anxiously into her eyes and she wept as she fought for consciousness. She lost the internal battle, and her breathing slowed. As Jak wept, she closed her eyes. Jak bowed his head and picked her body up. He carried her small limp frame to a table, where he gently forced Green Eco into her in a vain effort to revive her. She did not respond and Jak's eyes lost the sorrow they held in exchange for anger. As he spun around, his entire body blazed with raw power. He took off down a corridor and summoned two Eco Blades as he rushed to face his adversary…

* * *

Benedict woke up in a cold sweat. "Gravis was right," he thought. "I may have just seen the future. But where was I? Did I die because I'm not strong enough? No, its probably just my mind projecting my worst fear as a dream." Benedict reached this conclusion as he stretched. Jak was already awake, eating a roasted Yakow sandwich with lettuce. He tossed one to Benedict, who quickly demolished the delectable dish. The two of them finished eating and decided to go down a random path, hoping that it would lead them out of this place.

As Jak strode ahead of Benedict, he didn't notice that he stepped on a rock that seemed to sink into the earth. Nor did he realize until it was too late that the ground beneath him was opening and he was falling down a tunnel. As Jak landed with a muffled thump, he realized something soft and furry had broken the fall of his head. Said soft and furry object was now on the ground, his rolling around in circles quite independently of each other. Jak looked up and saw the hole he had just fallen through close up. His communicator went off almost a second after that.

"Jak! Jak? Are you there." Jak rolled his eyes at this; how was he supposed to tell Benedict if he was there if he was a mute? He shook Daxter, who was muttering something about a pretty bird named Rodney. Jak rolled his eyes and injected some Green Eco in Daxter's body. As Daxter came around, Jak pointed to his communicator and Daxter grabbed it.

"What do you want?" Jak glared at him; there was no reason to be rude.

"Where are you guys?" Benedict's voice came out raspy and distant.

"Legatee if I know. We're in a big dark room, so what do we do now?"

"Dunno. Should we just keep going and try to find each other of we make it out?" Daxter looked over at Jak, who nodded.

"Yea, we'll do that." Daxter shut the communicator off and set it to Panic mode, so that if Benedict got in real trouble, they would be able to find him. Jak summoned a small ball of Yellow Eco to light the way and he looked around, not daring to move.

This was the reason they were called the Spider Caves. Spiders -big ones- covered everything: the walls, the ceiling. Some were lowering themselves down, but all of them had their eyes on Jak, who for once was at a lose as to what to do. Fortunately, Daxter gave him a good word of advice.

"RUN!" Daxter screeched. Quite possibly, the spiders assumed that because of the volume of Daxter's voice he was something much larger, because they all backed away for a second. That one instant was what Jak needed. He turned his Eco Saber on and began slicing through everything that dared to get near him. He cleared a few feet before firing a beam into the ball of Yellow Eco and then entire thing exploded, or rather, expanded until it was about twenty feet in diameter. Everything it touched was simply melted away, including a section of the wall. Jak ran towards it, cutting through legions of two foot long spiders, their red beady eyes focused on him but finally learning to keep away from this opponent.

Jak dived through a small hole in the wall and sheared part of the wall off. He quickly levitated it into the hole, but not before about of score of spiders spitting Dark Eco emerged. Against these spiders, close range would be no good, and he was now out of Yellow Eco. Jak did the only thing any sane person would have done, save screaming. He ran like a bat outta Legatee.

As Jak ran, the spiders followed him, spitting Dark Eco at him. He dodged some a few times, but eventually one hit him in the leg. As he fell, his leg began to burn. He quickly flew up and healed himself, although the healing properties of Green Eco were slow to affect Dark Eco inflicted wounds. He saw some stalactites hanging from the ceiling and flew at them, Channeling Red Eco as he did so. He slammed into the ceiling, and killed the remaining spiders with an avalanche. He flew back to the ground and sat down, utterly exhausted. After catching his breath, he continued on his way. Eventually, he came to a dead end. Upon further inspection, he realized there was in fact a boulder blocking the path. There was one tiny spoke holding the boulder up. Daxter quickly climbed down from Jak's shoulder and struggled with it. As it popped loose, Daxter went flying down an adjacent tunnel.

Jak noticed the boulder starting to roll away, inconveniently in the direction of his friend. He tried to stop it, but it proved too much for even his Eco powers to halt. As it rolled away, Jak saw Daxter running as fast as he could and quickly levitated his friend.

As Daxter ran, he looked back and saw the boulder getting closer. He suddenly flew up to the ceiling, screaming the entire time. As the boulder rolled safely underneath him, he relaxed, but immediately started screaming when he started rushing backwards. He landed in jak's hand, who was mildly amused by friend's antics now that he was out of any true danger. Daxter opened his mouth, but simply fainted. Jak looked at his friend, concerned, but in the end stored him safely and carefully in his backpack before continuing on his way to find a way to link back up with Benedict.

* * *

The elf that was on Jak's mind at that moment was in fact trekking his way up a rock face. "How can there be a small mountain when we're _underground?_" Benedict grumbled under his breath. At the top was another bottomless pit. He spied three spider's webs, all conveniently within jumping distance of each other. He leapt from one to the next. As he landed he heard commotion coming from around a corner. At least, he thought it was from around the corner; the echoes in this place made it impossible to determine where anything was by sound alone. He slowly crept up to said corner and snuck a peek.

Across the cavern (the second biggest one so far) was the remains of a full Precursor Robot. As he pulled on the goggles Keira had so graciously given him, he saw that it was almost complete, except for the entire left arm, and the upper right of the head. The bottom of it was still buried; it appeared that the Lurkers were trying to dig it out with automated drilling machines. He saw small towers from the base of the drills and guessed that he would have to climb the towers in order to shut down the drills and stop the Lurkers from stealing the majority of a Precursor Robot.

Benedict started across a wooden bridge. He was careful; after hearing about the dirigible, he would not put it past the Lurkers to booby-trap even a bridge. He was right to be suspicious; after only five steps a trapdoor unhinged and he plummeted down. Luckily, he grabbed the wood and dug his fingers in. He heaved himself up with a small amount of difficulty and continued. As he closed in on the robot, he saw a twenty foot gap. He sped up and leaped over the ravine below, landing with a grace that Jak would have been proud of.

He saw that the Lurkers had set a Lurker Driller to guard the tower. They weren't very big, nor were they strong, but they were dangerous in the fact that they could rotate their wrists around, and those wrists had sharp and deadly claws, so if they touched you, you generally had the flesh ripped off before you could get them off of you. He stepped into plain view and the Driller ran at him. He simply stabbed it through the head with his Eco Saber by turning it on as it closed in on him. As it fell to the floor, he picked it up and dragged the pale-grayed creature to the gorge and simply threw it over. He entered the tower, and saw an elevator at the other end of a long hallway. As he looked around, he saw there was nothing inconspicuous about the room, but he highly doubted it was as empty as it appeared to be.

As he took a step, the entire outlook of the hallway changed. Some of the floor was taken away, revealing either nothing beneath or what appeared to be meat grinders. Benedict approached two such meat grinders and punched the wall so a chunk fell in. It was ground down to sawdust in an instant.

"Yea, lets not touch that," Benedict muttered to himself as he prepared to jump over it. He backed up and leapt, getting all ten feet the meat grinders took up. As he landed a Drill appeared from a hidden compartment in the wall. Benedict simply ducked as it charged and tossed it into the meat grinder, letting it do the work for him. As he continued, the floor gave way and he once again fell into a trapdoor. He leapt off the piece of floor he was standing on with all his strength. Admittedly, it did not help him very much, but he got the two or so inches he needed to get to the other side. As he heaved himself up again, he was mauled by another Driller. He wrenched his attackers claws out of his chest and quite literally blew it s brains out with a Yellow Eco beam. He collapsed and turned his Green Eco Box, watching in amazement at how it knitted his skin back together.

Up ahead were four meat grinders. Benedict backed up to the edge of the trapdoor and turned his Blue Eco Box on. He barely made it to the other end, landing much less graciously than he did when he crossed the bridge before. As he continued on his way down the hallway, he stained his ears for anything that sounded out of the ordinary. As he passed a tiled section, flames suddenly shot out from the walls. He dived forward and looked back. The flames had melted the tiles right off the floor and all that was left was a big hole where the wood had been under the tile.

Looking back on the moment later, Benedict was glad he had looked back. Silently, the wood started to crumble away. He took off for the elevator and jumped over a ten foot gap. As he rolled into a landing, he looked back and saw the floor still falling. A grinding sound made him turn around again and this time he saw what was causing the wood to crumble away. Mobile buzz saws had surfaced and were eating the floor away. He looked ahead and saw the ceiling closing down on the floor, which would effectively trap him. He arrived right before they slammed shut and began Channeling Red Eco. He jammed his hands between the wood and began pulling up. As he strained, the trap began to rise. He slipped through and let go. As he landed in the elevator, the ceiling slammed down on the floor with a deafening slam.

He sat down as the elevator rose. When it opened again, he was overlooking the drill itself. A quick look around the room allowed him to spot the Power Cell that was fueling the drill. As he removed it, the entire drill immediately shut down. He smiled grimly as he thought how the Lurkers would react when they realized what had happened. Instead of heading back through the Legatee downstairs, Benedict opted to instead simply jump out the window and jam his Eco Saber into the wall to slow his fall.

* * *

Meanwhile, Jak had fallen down another hole. Luckily, there weren't any spiders in this one, but there also was no light save for a fire that was ten feet in front of him. Jak slowly crept towards it, but there was really no need, he was invisible to the naked eye. As he approached the fire, he recognized it as a Yellow Eco Vent. Jak leapt for it and was surprised to reach it and yet have to cling onto the base for his life. As he pulled himself up, he felt something grab at his leg and he panicked. He gathered no small amount of Yellow Eco and unleashed a massive blast of energy straight down, so much that he was lifted up completely and he landed on his own two feet directly into the Vent. He charged up to full power and summoned two Blades. As he swung them around, he was disappointed to see that they did not light his way at all. He felt around for a path and found one. As he walked slowly, a soft sound to his left made him throw his blade in a panic. Just as he started cursing himself out to no end for doing such a stupid move, light flooded the cavern.

Jak looked over to where his Blade had been launched and he saw an emerald glowing with Yellow Eco from within. As the light started to fade, he saw that there were other such crystals, but he was unable to pinpoint their exact locations. He saw one and jumped over a gap and stabbed it.

Jak waited until half of his Blade had been absorbed and then he removed it. He saw a path deliberately laden with booby-traps ("What a surprise," he thought) leading to the next one. As he made his way to the next one, he jumped over a gap, but was suddenly yanked back. He looked back and saw his foot covered in webbing. The spider that had webbed him was now trying to sever the web and try to make him fall to his death. Jak shot the web himself and blasted the spider with another small ball. He turned around and extended his Eco Blade to full length as he turned his Blue Eco Box on. He crossed a wooden bridge that was the first to not be weighed down with traps to the third crystal.

Instead of putting a lot of Eco in, Jak only put a tiny amount. To his delight, the crystal lit up as brightly as if he had fired a whole blast of it in. As it illuminated the way ahead of him, a falling sound made him spin around. A spider was on the ground, its legs curled up. Jak nudged it with his foot, but it appeared to be truly dead. Jak wondered what could have killed the spider off so suddenly and shrugged, but kept his guard up.

Jak turned around and started across a bridge. He fell through a trapdoor after three or so steps and leapt up. As he landed, the floor gave out again and he gripped the edge of the bridge. He pulled himself up and saw another crystal right in front of him. Jak was slightly surprised that two were so close together, but he really wasn't complaining.

* * *

Benedict landed and quickly darted to the safety of the shadows. As he entered, the cloak he had made him appear to simply dissolve into the shady mists. He rematerialized at the entrance to the other tower and entered after slicing off the head of the Driller that was guarding the entrance. As he entered the tower, he saw with disgust that it was the exact same layout. He snorted; couldn't the Lurkers become a little more original?

As he jumped across a gap, the floor he landed on gave out. He immediately vaulted back and landed behind the trapdoor and in front of the gap in the floor. As he leapt over the gap left by the trapdoor, a Lurker Driller leaped up to meet him in the air. Benedict kicked it right in the face, but not before it had managed to tear a chunk out of his leg. He quickly landed, his right shin giving out from underneath him and began to heal himself. He looked at the Eco readout like Keira had told him to do every so often to make sure he wouldn't run out at an inopportune time. He cursed as he saw he was now out of energy.

The floor suddenly gave out and he started to fall into the abyss. As he tried to scramble back up, he remembered Jak could fly, but he had yet to do it. He turned his Blue Eco Box anyway, hoping something would happen. As his fear and terror reached their peaks, he suddenly halted in the air. He looked around and pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. It hurt.

Benedict let out a whoop of glee as he shot back up through the hole. He decided to just fly through the booby traps and as he looked down, he was damned glad he did. Two double meat grinders, and a double trapdoor were followed by a furnace. He winced as his imagination showed him what would happen to him if he got caught in the flames. He landed in the elevator and rode it up, confident that he could meet any challenge. As he removed the Power Cell from the drill, a female figure caught his attention. He gazed out the window at the top of the Precursor Robot. He had shut the drills off none too soon; the entire thing was almost completely exposed. He saw that it was missing, in addition to what he had noticed before, the lower right leg. He squinted up at the top and saw a grey female elf dressed scantily in Precursor armor and leather.

Benedict growled, instantly recognizing the elf by the descriptions of Jak and Keira. Maia Akaron, the younger sister of Gol and the twin Dark Eco Sage. He turned on his Eco Saber and sliced through the window. He would have jumped, but he wanted to sneak up on her and see what he could find out. He landed on the ground and began to climb the Robot, his eyes burning at his target with hatred.

* * *

Jak took a long draft from the spring and felt the cool liquid fill his stomach in way remarkably similar to food. He grabbed a bottle out of his backpack and put some of the liquid in for later and Benedict. He went up a flight of stairs and stopped when he saw an odd spinning device. It was a long wooden pole with a platform. The entire thing rotated. Jak leapt onto the platform just as the light from behind him died out. He saw a shimmer in the darkness and fired a beam of Yellow Eco at it. It hit another stone and revealed a narrow bridge. Jak walked down it slowly, putting one foot directly in front of the other so as not to lose his balance. At the end was an elevator. Jak rode it and he saw another crystal right in front of him.

Hoping that he was getting near to the end of this accursed gauntlet. After he hit the sixth crystal, Jak jumped over two trapdoors and landed on some wood. To his surprise, it was rotating. How he could have landed on a moving platform in the first place was baffling, not to mention the fact that he hadn't noticed that it was moving in the first place. An elevator on the other side collapsed as Jak stepped on it. He soared straight up with the help of Blue Eco and began descending. He finally felt his feet hit the ground after about a minute of free falling. The seventh out of the Precursors knew how many was right in front of him, so he shot the last but of Yellow Eco he had into it.

* * *

"I want no excuses. You should have had this thing dug out three days ago, before the Channelers entered this place." Maia hissed as she blew a Lurker to bits. Another one raised its head and promptly had it blown off. "Anyone else want to disrespect me?" She asked, gathering a small ball of Dark Eco in her hand. The remaining Lurkers remained perfectly still. "Good," she whispered. "Now, I want those Channelers found before-" Benedict decided this was a perfect time to intervene; he had long since reached the top and had listened to her rant and rave about him and Jak.

"One of us arrives and kicks your ass?" Maia turned around with a snarl. She grabbed an Eco Saber from her belt and turned it on, revealing the dark purple blade. Benedict did the same. The Lurkers with any sense got off the platform while the two Channelers sized each other up.

They both acted simultaneously, running one way and firing Yellow Eco Blasts at the same time. Or rather, Benedict used Yellow Eco while Maia used Dark Eco. The blasts hit each other and cancelled out. Benedict ran at Maia, who leapt into the air. Benedict looked up in time to see Maia throw a disk of energy. Benedict dodged it and Maia landed and began a melee with Benedict, enhancing her power with Dark Eco. Benedict Channeled Red Eco and the two seemed to cancel each other out.

As Benedict fought, he noticed how Maia wasn't even trying, almost as if it was a game to her. He growled at her and paid for his distraction by receiving a swift kick in the ribs. The two of them reactivated their Sabers and ran at each other, screaming the whole time. After exchanging blows, they locked swords and began trying to outmuscle each other, each trying to throw the other off balance. Benedict pushed his blade up, leaving Maia temporarily defenseless, and then threw a kick at her. Maia dodged the attack and blasted him with Dark Lightning.

Benedict screamed as he was thrown off the Robot. Maia screeched in triumph as she watched him fall. Benedict hit the ground and watched the Robot disappear with the necromancer in a puff of purple smoke.

"She- she was TOYING with me!" Benedict roared. As Lurkers swarmed him, he unleashed his fury and slaughtered each and every one, even slicing up one that he had stabbed and had left standing up. Not until he had killed everything did he relent and allow his body to recover from the intense rush it had just been through. He sighed and stood up. As he left, he turned around and callously surveyed the carnage he had just created.

* * *

Jak arrived at a Launch-Pad and looked back to the thirty foot tall spider that was chasing him. Daxter was yelling at him for waking the thing up. How was he supposed to have known that turning the last crystal would haven woken that spawn up? He was propelled through the air and saw the spider following. He was relieved when it was stopped by two gates underneath him slamming shut. He was launched up a long tunnel and landed next to a figure. He turned on his red Eco Saber and was surprised when his opponent simultaneously turned on a green one. Jak lowered his hood and saw his opponent do the same. Jak ran at Benedict and the two of the pounded fists, happy to see each other again. Now that they were reunited, nothing would be able to stand between them.

Benedict told Jak and Daxter what had happened. He gave Jak the two Power Cells and looked so disappointed that even Daxter couldn't bring himself to berate the elf for his blunder. For once he tried to make Benedict feel better. Unfortunately, his attempts failed. They continued on the path and saw lights up ahead. They nodded to each other and pulled their hoods up. As they got closer to the source of light, they saw that it was actually a Lurker camp. They jumped down and raided it. While Jak regenerated his Yellow Eco Box, Benedict raided the tents and found two items; a bag with five hundred Precursor Orbs, and a detailed map of the Spider Caves. Jak and Benedict studied it and saw that five Dark Eco Crystals were circled in red ink. They studied the path layout and decided to take care of it in the morning. Benedict found another alcove and they went to sleep.

* * *

"You see how his power increased when he let his rage consume him?" Gol breathed as he watched on the crystal ball.

"Yes brother, but he is a Channeler. Do you really think he can be persuaded?"

"Yes. Every time he taps into his hidden power he hungers for more. I can use that lust for power against him and turn him to our side. Proceed with step two of our plan."

* * *

Jak and Benedict arrived at the three-way fork in the path that they saw on the map. They took the map out again and saw that if they each took a side path, they could get rid of four crystals. They could then regroup and take out the last crystal before getting out of this place.

Jak took the left and finds a large cavern complete with platforms and trampolines. He looked around and smirked. He simply flew to the top and shot a massive beam of Yellow Eco, draining forty percent of his entire stock. As the crystal evaporated into sub-atomic particles, he took his section of the map and saw the cave he was supposed to go into at the bottom. Jak flew down and into the next room. He looked around and saw a shimmer from a small section of the wall covered in moss. Jak looked at the plant life, hoping that this was sign he was nearing the exit. He disintegrated the second crystal and saw a hidden path behind it. He debated going down it, the adventuring part of him aching to, but he reminded himself that he needed to get out of the underground tunnel.

* * *

Benedict arrived in a huge crystal mine. Even though he knew he was on a mission, he couldn't help but appreciate the beauty. Rubies, diamonds, emeralds, and sapphires were all in this trove. His eyes narrowed as in a disgusting perverse statement, the Dark Eco was in the middle, as if the other four colors were worshiping it. He shot a beam at it and watched it melt with satisfaction. He then arrived at a pool of water. He took a deep breath and dived down, pulling his goggles back on. He spotted the foul gemstone in no time, and wasted no time in detonating it. He swam back up and headed back to the original path, only to find Jak already there with a "what took you?" look on his face. The meant to be stern expression was somewhat ruined due to the fact that Jak was grinning like crazy.

After walking up a steep hallway for thirty minutes, the two of them finally entered another chamber. The Dark Eco decorated the ceiling. Jak and Benedict looked at each other and nodded. Jak threw out his left hand, Benedict his right, and they fired the last of their Yellow Eco at the crystal. As it exploded, they saw a light at the top of the cave. Jak flew up to make sure it was the exit and turned around. He almost fell of the cliff when he saw Benedict right by him.

"Yea, I can fly now." Benedict said as he grinned broadly. The two Channelers exited the Spider Caves and stepped in the Desert Colossus. They were dwarfed by the sheer size of it. They stared in every direction, but it was endless. Jak wondered how long it would take; now that it was getting to be late fall, they would need to cross before the nights became deadly.

"Wow. Look at that." Benedict exclaimed. Jak and Daxter looked to where Benedict was pointing at and their jaws dropped as they saw…

… And Cut! Ok, I know I am receiving many a death threat, but I really don't care. I feel like giving a cliffy. Other than the cliffhanger, I hope I've redeemed myself slightly for the horrible last chapter. If you guys have any ideas about Eco powers or Lurkers I'll accept them with opened arms. If you guys got any questions regarding the new guy or predictions about the future, please ask, you guys know I will be happy to settle any inquiries you might have. Well, I leave for now, but I will hopefully have Chapter Twenty: Benedict's Decision, soon.


	20. Benedict's Fateful Choice

Red Mage 04- Yes, it begins… I am glad you think that this is better than the last chapter. Honestly, I'm surprised, I thought a master writer such as yourself planned out the book, then modified it to our (the humble reviewers) wishes by tweaking it and doing extra work for our benefit. Yea, I figured it was about time Jak and Benedict got their asses handed to them a couple of times. In addition, yea, I was not originally planning on Benedict starting his, uh, journey this early, but I figured I should have started it sooner now that I look back. So yup, he has slowly started sliding down the path he is destined for. It was no problem waiting for you to get back to me; much though it would make my life easier, the world neither revolves around me nor does it do what I want. Anyway, I understand that things happen or things slip people's mind (mine, constantly). In any case, thank you for getting back to me. Ah Daxter, ever the perverted former elf. Thank the Precursors, eh? Glad I made you laugh, because there won't be a lot of humor for a couple of chapters, mostly blood and fighting. I always thought Daxter could pass for the Metal-Head Leader when it came to volume, so I decided to throw in a little tidbit for you guys, hoping one person would laugh. Yes, in the end he will be getting a few powers, though I haven't any clue as to which side he should be aligned with. And as you requested, oh great one, here is the next chapter.

animedragongirl- Darn, I was hoping for total redemption. Ah well, slightly is a start. At least I don't have to worry about you incinerating me. Sorry about the punctuation. (bows meekly). The Red Eco Temple will be, uh, full of Red Eco. Yea that sounds good. Um, I haven't decided. I'm thinking either like a fire based temple, because Red Eco can make fire, or maybe one trap after another, or a maze, or something like the Blue Eco Temple was. I do say it's going to be better than the green eco temple. I don't think you deserve a flame. Your story is hilarious. I have a swivel chair too :-P. I'll try to make up for the flame by giving you a shout-out in the disclaimer. I'm glad that you like my plot overview, and I will do what you said: I'll get it all out and then correct it, although I'll try not to make any mistakes in the first place.

Lauren- The chapter length is your opinion, which you are entitled to until you take Christian Existence in senior year. It is then taken away from you for forty minutes a day. Yea, I did get that line from Revenge of the Sith (AWESOME MOVIE!). You will be seeing a lot of Star Wars influence in this and the next chapter. Glade you liked the chapter, and I don't like spiders either. And I hated that part of the game, since I was always expecting a giant spider to just drop down and eat me. Good, Benedict is starting to bother you. I was going for that effect. But what about him bothers you? I want to be sure what I think should be bothering you is really doing its job. I can't just kill someone, I have to build up to it. But rest assured, Benedict will die, along with many other people when all is said and done. Send the death threats if you must, I suspect I'll be dead before I can get the next chapter up, in that case. Glad to know you'll keep reading if I keep writing.

Leo- I think you are right; Jak should have been able to talk the entire time. That was a horrible plot hole, unless Erol gave Jak a voice box so he could hear Jak scream. Anyway, you will get your wish in both this and a couple of other chapters, although it will certainly be most unorthodox. I am honored that you read this drivel, and even more honored that you took the time out of your life to review, and I thank you very much.

Disclaimer: You should know this, but for those blood sucking lawyers out there: I don't own this. JAK X: COMBAT RACING RULES! Also, **_I COMMAND YOU ALL WITH MY HORRIBLE WRITING SKILLS TO READ RED MAGE 04'S RISEN DEMON AND THE WAR OF THE ANCIENTS! AND ALSO, ANIMEDRAGONGIRL'S JAK AND DAXTER PRANK WAR! I HAVE SPOKEN!_** (Sees there no one there except a cricket.) Oh right. And now without any further adieu…

* * *

Benedict's Fateful Choice 

"Wow. Look at that." Benedict exclaimed. Jak and Daxter looked to where Benedict was pointing at and their jaws dropped as they saw an enormous house. It looked more like a mansion than anything else. The two Channelers walked up to it and knocked on the door. There was no answer, and Jak knocked louder. There was still no answer.

"Watch this Jak." Daxter muttered before he started screaming. Jak and Benedict covered their ears as Daxter's pitch rose. "By the Precursors let us in. The Lurkers have found us and are going to kill us!" There was no response except for a shutter to hit the window as a breeze blew.

A sudden explosion from a nearby cave made all three of them jump. Jak and Benedict peered around the house to see smoke erupting from a cave. The three of them looked at each other and shrugged. They cautiously made their way into the cave; after the explosion they had heard, something really big must be in here.

As they went into the remarkably short cave, they saw an enormous gem. It was so big, the two elves felt utterly insignificant when it came to mass. As for Daxter, well, he was wondering what Lauren and Kristen would look like if they got all covered in water with nothing but white tee-shirts.

Curses brought all the elves back to reality and they spied two very small (relative to the diamond) figures. One appeared to be tall, thin, and wearing what seemed to be a birdcage on his head. This elf was digging at the base of the gem. The other one look short and stocky, carrying a pickax on his back and really not doing much else.

As the adventurers got closer to the elves, they began to hear the conversation.

"Damn, that had even less of an impact than I thought it would." This voice was loud, scratchy and rough. It was not unkind however; there was a benign undercurrent to it, even when he was yelling.

"Duh, that was a big bang. Should we get some more boomers?" This voice sounded doofy, almost childish in nature.

"It's called Econite Willard. And no, that was the last we had." Jak and Benedict walked down to the figures so that they were right near them. The tall elf spotted them and pointed at them.

"Hey, Gordy! Duh, I think we gots visitors!" This elf called Willard must not be the brains of the bunch, Jak thought as the other elf (no doubt Gordy) responded.

"Ya think, Willard? Howdy, strangers! Passin' through? Us too! Well, we gotta be movin' on! Nothin' to see here!" He said as he began to shoo Willard away and pretend as it there was not a diamond the size of a house behind him. Willard protested as he was pushed.

"Uh, I thought you said this was a priceless gem worth-"

"WILLARD!" Gordy bellowed as Willard gestured to the gem.

Benedict decided that this would be a good time to intervene. "Actually, we were wondering if you live in that house."

"Yea." Gordy replied.

"Do you think we could rent it for us plus three others?"

"For three hundred Precursor Orbs sure." Jak's eyes narrowed as he saw the greedy gleam in Gordy's eyes. Willard was politely surveying the patterns of smoke rising from a campfire nearby.

"And can we use a Warp Gate?"

"We got one! You want ta use it?" Willard said

Gordy raised his fist to Willard as he rephrased Willard's generous proposal. "What bird-brain here is TRYING to say is: We MAY have a Warp Gate lying around somewhere, and we MIGHT be willing to let you use it for... Two hundred orbs each!"

"One sec." Benedict said. "What do we do? That's all we got." Jak sighed and nodded.

"Deal."

"We'll need them now."

"The here ya go," Benedict said as he dumped the bag into Gordy hands and turned around and started walking. Daxter however, remained behind to ask them something.

"Hey, how do you two 'geniuses'," at this point he made quotes in mid-air, "expect to get that big gem outta here, anyway?"

"Well, smarty-pants, we got 12 more years of diggin' to figure that out!" Gordy snapped. Willard seemed to be thinking very hard as he counted something on his fingers. "Uh, Gordy? Wouldn't it take less time if you dug too?"

Gordy gave Willard a look that clearly stated "No, it wouldn't." Willard waved goodbye to Jak and Daxter as they went back up to the house.

As they turned the Warp Gate on, Jak shot a look at Benedict, who was looking very hard at his hand, as if thinking about a difficult decision. As Keira popped through, a loud clunk followed. Jak saw she had brought her tool with her. Samos followed, landing on his feet for once. Jak wondered briefly where his staff was when the said object came whizzing out of the Warp Gate and smacked the Green Sage on the back of the head. As Samos rubbed the large lump that had risen on the back of his head, Jak and Benedict took off their robes and hung them up near the Gate.

"Where are we?" Keira asked as she looked out the window.

"We're at the edge of the Desert Colossus, in the house of two miners named Gordy and Willard. They said we could stay here for a few days. In the meantime, we're going to have to find a transport across the desert to the next civilization. Wherever and whatever that is." Benedict added the last thought with a growl.

"The next civilization is Wasteland Metropolis, which is on the exact opposite side of this desert on the northern side." Samos said as he rubbed the large lump on the back of his head.

"So what do you guys want to do?" Keira asked as she returned from whatever room she had dumped her tools in.

"I guess we'll stay here a day or two and rest. Besides, Jak has to keep training me, right man?" Benedict said with a wink at Jak, who grinned.

"All right. I'll make dinner while you two boys go train. Keira, you can keep working on your, ah project." Samos winced as his daughter sent him a look that clearly told him he would regret saying what she was planning. Jak and Benedict went outside and continued their training. Jak no longer had any Yellow Eco, but a quick examination of the garage behind the house showed a generous supply of both Red and Yellow Eco. Jak and Benedict recharged their Eco Boxes and began sparring.

After an hour of sparring, using Blue Eco to enhance their speed, Jak sat down in the shade. He used his Green Eco replenish his strength and banish his fatigue, and shared some with Benedict.

"Hey Jak, whaddya say you use a sword and I'll use my fists. That way I'll be prepared if I lose my Saber and I'm fighting someone with a long range weapon." Jak smiled and nodded; this would be a good way to keep Benedict from losing his temper when he lost his blade. Jak summoned his Yellow Eco Blade and Benedict used Red Eco to enhance his speed slightly and to deflect Jak's Blade. At first he was hit very often, but as they went on, Benedict improved and they began to have a tie.

Jak swept Benedict's feet out and slashed downwards. Benedict closed his eyes and made a fist as he prepared to get hit and was shocked when none came. He opened his eyes and saw Jak looking at him with amazement sketched into every feature. He looked at his hand and saw that the Red Eco surrounding it had become a solid object, shooting straight up. An Eco Blade. Benedict stood up and waved it back and forth. He watched it and looked over at Jak with a mock evil grin. Jak smiled as he watched his friend and apprentice swing his sword again, getting used to the feel of a completely weightless weapon.

"Dad." Keira breathed.

"What is it Keira?" Samos asked from where he and Wartstal were studying maps of the desert.

"Look at Jak and Benedict." Samos grumbled but obliged to his daughters wishes. He looked outside and saw the two of them clash with two different types of Eco Blades. The three of them gazed in awe as the twin Channelers whipped their weapons with a speed and fury that had so far been unseen.

Jak brought his blade crashing down through Benedict's head and would have decapitated him had his Blade been at full strength. As it was, it only turned the skin red. Suddenly a dust cloud started to rise up in the distance. Jak and Benedict stopped fighting looked over at it. They caught the scent of a Lurker heading in their direction. Jak recalled his Eco Blade; playing his ace up his sleeve at the very beginning was not a smart move. Out of the corner of his eye, Jak saw Benedict do the same with his Eco Blade. The two shirtless Channelers stood there, one small, thin, lean and wiry. The other stood tall, bulky, and stout. As the Lurker got within eyesight, they saw it was none other than Gravis.

"We'll attack him together this time." Benedict muttered out of the corner of his mouth. Jak looked up at his friend and nodded; if he was gifted with the ability to speak that had been what he would have said.

Gravis leaped and landed in front of them. They stared at him, neither of them wavering in their stance. "Come now, is that anyway to greet an old friend?" He asked as he leered at them. He sniffed the air and his eyes widened. Despite the defeat he had given to them two days ago, neither of them were exerting any scents of fear. "Well then, I'll teach them to fear me." He thought to himself.

"I've been looking forward to this." Gravis said as he ignited his dark purple Eco Saber.

"Our powers have doubled since the last time we met, freak." Benedict snarled as he and Jak each summoned their own Eco Blades. Gravis looked at them both, surprised they knew such advanced Channeling techniques.

"Good. Twice the pride, double the fall." he said as he rushed them. As he ducked, weaved and attacked Jak and Benedict, they realized that even together, their odds of beating him were slim. Jak finally scored a hit on him, elbowing Gravis on the side of his mouth. As Gravis massaged his jaw, Benedict darted forward. As Jak leaped over the two of them, Gravis punched Jak in the throat. Jak grabbed his throat as his air supply was cut off, leaving his chest wide open for a sidekick, which Gravis eagerly provided.

"Your moves are clumsy, Benedict… too predictable. You'll have to do better if you want to defeat me." Gravis commented as if he was talking about the weather. Benedict snarled incoherently as he pressed his attack even harder. Gravis leaped back and closed his eyes.

"Master Gol was right; this one becomes much more powerful as his anger increases. Maybe I should test his limits. I might even have some fun," Gravis thought as he heard Jak finally rise and rush him. He parried Jak's attacks easily. Benedict rushed in, his guard down and Gravis toyed with him before electrocuting him. He shot lightning at Jak, but Jak rebounded it up to the sky, where it fizzled out.

As the battle continued, Jak began to get tired as the strain of fighting after nearly seven hours of sparring took their toll on his body. Gravis suddenly grabbed Jak's throat and crushed it with his hand. Jak struggled before going limp. Benedict rose and saw Gravis throw his teacher, almost casually into the garage and through a wall.

As Benedict came at him, Gravis finally caught the scent of fear he had been desiring to smell. He watched Benedict's eyes and saw conflicting emotions. He smirked as he ducked under a chop aimed at his neck. Their blades clashed and Gravis leaned in. Benedict did the same. As Benedict glared and bared his teeth at the Lurker, Gravis spoke to him once more.

"I sense great fear in you, Benedict." he remarked as he pressed his attack, driving Benedict back. "You have hate, you have anger, but you don't use them." Gravis continued. Benedict finally gave in to Gravis' taunts and began to use his anger as a weapon. He summoned another Blade and Gravis actually was pushed back by the ferocity of Benedict's onslaught.

"I can't allow him to think he is better than me," Gravis thought as he saw an opening. He swung his Eco Saber and Benedict let out a scream of pain. As Gravis vanished, Benedict's right forearm hit the ground in a puddle of blood. Jak emerged from the small crater in the side of the garage to find Gravis gone and his student on the ground. Jak ran over and gasped at what he saw. He hastily healed Benedict's wound by sealing the wound that had erupted from his skin, but there was no returning his arm to its proper place. As the blood flow ebbed, Jak swore revenge on the monster that had done this to his friend.

Pushing aside his feelings, Jak picked Benedict up carefully and brought him inside. He placed him on a long table and found Samos. Jak dragged the protesting Sage into the next room. Samos' eyes widened as he looked at Benedict.

"By the Precursors…" Samos breathed as he looked at the injured Channeler.

"Can we help him?" Jak wrote on a piece of paper.

"Of course. I have a Precursor artifact in my hut we can use. I'll be right back." Samos dashed to the Warp Gate with surprising speed and hopped through. He reemerged with a hunk of bronze metal, slipping as he did so and falling on his back. He pushed Jak out of the door and began to work on setting the Precursor prosthetic limb onto Benedict's arm.

Jak ran to find Keira, Daxter, and Wartstal and hastily grabbed them. Once he brought them outside the door where Benedict was being operated on, he wrote down what was happening. All of them sat down and contemplated Benedict's horrid luck. If only he had a better rein on his emotions, this probably wouldn't have happened, Jak thought.

Two hours later, Samos finally emerged from the makeshift operating room. "He'll be all right," Samos sighed in response to the unasked question. All of them let out a sigh of relief. Jak went to go in through the door, but Samos put out his arm to stop Jak.

"No Jak, Benedict needs to sleep. He has been through a lot. We can all see him in the morning. But for now, I suggest we get some rest." Jak, Daxter, Keira and Wartstal nodded and silently made their way to the beds. Jak tossed and turned, his soul burning with anger and guilt over what had happened to one of his best friends.

The next day, everyone rushed to find Benedict missing. Jak looked outside while the rest of the group stayed in the house, hoping to find Benedict there. Jak arrived at the edge of the desert to find Benedict there, the wind whipping his long black hair around his face. "Hey Jak. Sorry about yesterday." Jak nodded before sighing and turning back to the house.

"Jak!" Benedict shouted. Jak turned around and saw Benedict striding towards him. "I've… I've disappointed you. I have not been very appreciative of your training. I have been arrogant and I apologize. I've just been so frustrated with Gravis and the fact that I can't truly harness my powers. There's something holding me back. Your friendship means everything to me." Jak smiled softly at his friend and apprentice and put a hand on Benedict's shoulder. If one were to look on this scene, it would have been comical; Jak had to reach up to get to Benedict's shoulder.

Benedict looked down at his friend. In Jak's eyes, he saw the understanding and forgiveness that he so desperately needed. "How's Keira doin'?" Jak shrugged and rolled his eyes. "She's been worried about me, huh?" Jak nodded. Benedict suddenly felt elated. Maybe he still had a chance with Keira after all. Jak turned around and headed back to the house, hoping Benedict would talk to him or someone. He could sense that Benedict was keeping a secret, and he also knew that he was infatuated with Keira. Jak knew that being attached to someone was dangerous, especially of Gol found out. He smirked; he was just as hopeless when it came to Keira as Benedict.

As Jak sat down at the table inside the house, a high-pitched scream broke the silence and serenity. He kicked a hole in the window and ran towards the source of the scream. It sounded like Keira, and she sounded as if she was in a large neighboring building. Jak summoned two Eco Blades and kicked the door down. He almost laughed at what he saw. A Chaser had snuck up on her and began eating the straps of her overalls. He recalled his Eco Blade and pulled the creature gently away from Keira, who was cowering in a corner. He sat her down and began to stroke the Chaser's snout.

The Chaser stared at Jak with it's fierce orange eye. Jak bowed his head, a common sign that was made to the Chaser so that it trusted you, and it bowed its head in return. It stood about as tall as Jak, with six four and a half foot long legs. It was a bright white to repel the heat of the desert and had a tough leathery skin rather than hair. It's ears were six inches long and stood straight up so it could detect any foreign noises. It was just beginning to calm down when Benedict burst in, roaring and twirling his two Eco Blades. The Chaser panicked and promptly kicked Jak under the chin, knocking him out.

Jak came to a few hours later. He was lying on a bed. No wait, it felt more like someone's lap on a hard floor. As Jak opened his eyes, he saw that he was sleeping in Keira's lap. She was snoring lightly, her face drooping down. Jak got p slowly, so as not to wake her and leaned next to her. He gently picked her up and placed her in between his legs so that she was leaning back on his chest. Jak inhaled her hair deeply and fell asleep with a sigh of content.

* * *

"I can't get her out of my head." Benedict whispered to the stars. He tried to persuade her to let him bring Jak inside, but she had refused, opting instead to stay with him in that cold shed. "She is in my very soul… tormenting me. How? How can I impress her to make her leave Jak and be with me?" He asked a little louder. 

"Well that is simple. I could teach you abilities and powers the likes of which you have never seen before." A raspy voice said. Benedict spun around and saw Gol himself standing about a foot away from him. He summoned an Eco Blade but Gol raised his hand.

"I have no wish to have to destroy you, Benedict. I have come here just to talk." Benedict did not lower his blade, but pointed it at Gol's chest, directly where his heart should be.

"I don't trust you." He snarled at Gol, who raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?" Benedict stared at him, as if Gol had absolutely no idea why Benedict would want to kill him.

"Hmm, let's see. You've tried to kill me and my friends a few times, for starters." Gol chuckled.

"I have not. Maia and Gravis could snuff out your lives in an instant if they really chose to. I have came here to propose to you again. Let me teach you."

"Why should I trust you?" Why should I go to your side? Samos and Jak are powerful. And once we free the Sages, we will be unstoppable. We'll wipe you off the face of the map."

"Hmm. Despite your bravado, I sense great fear in you."

"I'm not afraid of anything. And neither is Jak."

"I beg to differ. Remember back to your early teachings, Benedict. 'All those who gain power are afraid to lose it.' Even Jak."

"But Jak and I use our power for good."

"Good is a point of view, Benedict. And Jak and Samos' points of view are not the only valid ones. The Dark Lords believe in security and justice also, yet we are considered by the Sages to be…" Gol left the sentence unfinished and looked at Benedict as if to say finish it.

"… evil." Benedict said.

"… From Samos' point of view. The Dark Lords and the Sages are similar in almost every way, including their quest for greater power. The difference between the two is the Dark Lords are not afraid of using emotions as weapons. That is why we are more powerful." Gol said triumphantly.

"You Dark Lords rely on your passions for your strength. You think inward, only about yourselves." Gol raised his eyebrows again.

"And Jak, Wartstal, and Samos don't?"

"Our quest is selfless… we only care about others." Gol smiled at this statement, almost as if everything in the conversation was going his way.

Or so you've been trained to believe." Benedict looked thoughtful about this statement. "Did you ever hear the tragedy of Plagueis 'the wise'?"

"No." Benedict said hesitantly.

"I thought not. It's not a story Samos would tell you. It's a Dark Sage legend. Plagueis was a Sage of Dark Eco, so powerful and so wise he could use his power to manipulate Dark Eco to create life… He had such a knowledge of Dark Eco that he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying." Benedict stared at Gol in amazement. Gol turned around, counting down in his head as to when Benedict would ask the inevitable. "Three… two… one…"

"He could actually save people from death?" Benedict asked wondrously.

"Dark Eco is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural."

"What happened to Plagueis?"

"He became so powerful… the only thing he was afraid of was losing his power, which eventually, of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew, and then his apprentice killed him in his sleep." An insane lit up Gol's features as he said this. "Plagueis never saw it coming. It's ironic; he could save others from death, but not himself."

"Is it possible to learn this power?" Benedict inquired.

"Not from Jak or Samos." Gol said. Seeing Benedict's expression, he pressed his advantage. "I know what has been troubling you. Listen to me. Don't continue to be a pawn of Sages and of that traitor Jak! Ever since I've sensed you, you've been searching for a life greater than that of an ordinary Channeler. A life of significance, of conscience." This statement proved to be too much for Benedict who spun around and pointed his sword at Gol's throat once more.

"You're wrong!" Benedict spat at Gol. Gol glanced at the blade pointed at his windpipe.

"Are you going to kill me?" Gol asked so casually one would think he was inquiring about the weather from his tone.

"I would certainly like to." Benedict said, breathing heavily. Gol closed his eyes and smiled.

"I know you would. I can feel your anger. It gives you focus, makes you stronger." Benedict brought his Blade back to stab, but he lost the will halfway through. He put his arm down and turned his Saber off.

"I'll let you go this once. But next time we meet, I _will_ kill you."

"You have great wisdom, Benedict. Know the power of the Dark Eco. The power to save Keira." Gol nodded his head and vanished with a sound that sounded like a whip being cracked.

Benedict went back into the house, his mind full of what he had just discussed with Gol.

Jak ran to Keira and inspected her body. She was severely burned everywhere and her clothes were in shreds. Jak blushed slightly as he saw part of her chest but quickly went to work, healing all of her injuries. He gazed anxiously into her eyes and he wept as she fought for consciousness. She lost the internal battle, and her breathing slowed. As Jak prayed frantically to the Precursors to let her live, she closed her eyes. Jak bowed his head and picked her body up. He carried her small limp frame to a table, where he gently forced Green Eco into her in a vain effort to revive her. She did not respond and Jak's eyes lost the sorrow they held in exchange for anger. As he spun around, his entire body blazed with raw power. He took off down a corridor and summoned two Eco Blades as he rushed to face his adversary…

Benedict once awoke from the same dream he had been having ever since he had talked with Gravis. "Should I do it? Is it worth it? Would it be forsaking my values and way of life to save her?"

"Benedict," Wartstal called from downstairs.

"Yea?"

"We're setting out soon. You'd better come down and eat if you want food."

After another day of rest and training, Jak, Benedict, Wartstal, and Keira began to cross the Desert Colossus. They grabbed some Chasers from Willard and Gordy's stable. As the sun rose, they began their journey through Desert Goliath.

For three days they headed straight North. On the fourth day, Wartstal pulled them aside. "I have a half-brother that lives here. Gol would not allow him to join the ranks so he could infiltrate along with me. He is far more intelligent than I, having the brain of one of you elves. I had to learn intelligence the hard way. Would you mind if we stopped in to see him?" The group shook their head no.

"Good. He lives partly to the west, so I suggest that we alter our present course." He pointed to a small speck that was northwest of their position. As they rode towards it, their Chasers began to get worn out from no water. They arrived at the house and saw that it was more of a hut. Wartstal stayed behind to tie up the Chasers and to get them water from a pond that was nearby.

Jak walked up the pass when all of a sudden an inhuman scream broke the silence. A figure leaped off the roof and aimed for Jak. Jak grabbed Keira and back flipped away, landing to see a small crater where he had just been standing. A figure rose up out of it and growled. As the dust cleared and Jak could see the figure properly, he retched back in shock. The thing, whatever it was, seemed like a horrible cross breed between elf and Lurker.

It stood a little under six feet tall, and had a very wide chest. It's eyes were yellow where the whites normally were, and they were colored a light brown. The pupil was a cat-like slit and was black. The arms were covered in purple hair but were not the bulky ones of the Lurkers, being the small, thin arms of elves. The chest was hairy save for a small six-pack that was hairless. The legs were powerful and but thin like elf's, not like the tree trunks of Lurkers. Its hair was graceful and elegant; long and silver. Two ears poked up out of the top, looking curiously as if they belonged to a Croca-Dog. The creature stood up and lunged at Jak. Up close, Jak saw that it had half-inch claws. He ducked and started hammering the creature in the chest. He winced after pushing it away; its chest was like a block of wood. He summoned an Eco Blade and the beast ran at him. Jak leaped up and prepared to swing down and unleash blasts of Yellow Eco when Wartstal seemed to materialize in the middle of the fight. Jak landed and stopped. Wartstal turned around and embraced the beast.

"Hatu, it's been so long." Wartstal said as he wrapped his arms around the stranger.

"Wart- Wartstal? Is that you?" The being called Hatu asked in a croaky voice.

"No, its your uncle Sinisteras." The half-breed laughed and hugged Wartstal back. It opened one of its eyes and saw Jak, Daxter, Keira and Benedict staring at them with baffled expressions.

"Friends of yours?" Hatu asked.

"As a matter of fact, they are. Guys, this is my half-brother Hatu. I guess I forgot to mention that he is a cross between Lurker and elf." Hatu walked up the group and apologized for attacking them. Jak bowed his head, a way of apologizing without words, and they entered the house.

It was not very well kept, but that was completely understandable considering the environment. Over dinner, the group listened to a tale about Wartstal and Hatu's parents. Wartstal's mother died, and the father met an elfin woman. She was understanding and they married. They were exiled from the town and built a hidden place in the desert. When Hatu was born, Wartstal was kidnapped by Gol to serve him. As Hatu served them dinner, the talk turned to the objectives at hand.

"So Jak, you are trying to conquer the Eco Temples?" Jak nodded as he took a deep drink from his cup. "I can shed some light on the location of the Red Eco Temple if you want." Jak sat up and looked attentively at Hatu, eager to learn the location of the temple.

"This Temple is already unlocked, but there is only one way on. Far to the east lies a volcano. Once you get to Wasteland Metropolis, you might be able to take a Warp Gate there if Gol hasn't deactivated it. The only way in is to climb into the heart of the volcano and piloting a transport through the passage that we have dubbed the Lava Tube. Three people I know of have entered that volcano. None have emerged alive."

Keira spoke up. "Thanks for shedding some insight onto our mission. If there's anyway we can repay you…" Hatu smirked.

"As a matter of fact, there is. Once you get through Wasteland Metropolis, please let me come with you." Jak nodded and Keira added her verbal appraisal of the partnership.

"You won't betray us will you? Wartstal here almost turned Jak over and killed him." Benedict asked suspiciously.

"Benedict!" Keira said, appalled that he could just accuse someone like that.

"I'm just making sure."

"No, I have every intention of trying to defeat Gol." The company nodded and they all went to sleep. Jak laid down and was grateful for the slight reprieve he had gotten. He had not been haunted by his nightmare concerning Keira since he had met Gravis.

The next day, Jak and company woke up earlier than the sun, eager to get some distance in before the heat rose. After a day of riding, they could see the Wasteland Metropolis getting bigger. As they made camp that night, the entire group was cheerful. Once they got to Wasteland Metropolis, they would be one step closer to beating Gol. The next day, Jak urged the group forward. He had a funny feeling something bad was going to happen. As they got near the outskirts, a rumbling caught their ears. They turned around and saw half a dozen twenty-foot long Lurker Centipedes. The was a skinny figure on the center one and Jak was ready to bet everything he owned that it was either Gol or Gravis. As they came closer, he saw it was Gol.

They all dismounted their steeds and readied for attack. Jak and Benedict summoned two Eco Blades each and Wartstal took out an Eco Saber, only to put it away. Jak pointed at Keira, and then behind a rock. When she refused, Jak simply levitated her and gently put her out of harm's way as the Centipedes closed in on them. He then levitated Daxter over to her as well; perverted though he might be, Jak wanted no harm to come to the two people he held closest to his heart.

Jak leapt into the air and landed on a Centipede. As it bucked and tried to throw him off, Jak dug one of his Blades in and started hacking away at the head. After carving a hole big enough to crawl into, Jak entered the Centipede's head and started smashing at the brain. The Centipede shrieked and writhed from the pain. As it collapsed in a bloody puddle, Jak emerged from the mouth.

Wartstal leaped up onto another Centipede and it tried to buck him off. As he landed hard on the sand, Wartstal looked up in time to see Jak land in front of him. Jak sandwiched his two Blades together and they formed a curved six foot Blade. Jak swung the massive weapon once and enormous beams of Yellow Eco traveled along the ground and shredded the Centipede to scraps.

Wartstal yelled a thanks to Jak before activating an Eco Saber. As much as he hated to rely on weapons rather than skill, without them in this particular conflict, he wasn't going to be much use. He leaped into the mouth of a Centipede and carved his way through the Centipedes body, literally. His blade protruded from the monster's flesh as he hacked away.

"Take this you son of a bitch!" Benedict roared as he used his Blade to poke out the eyes of another Centipede. As he shot a blast of Yellow Eco through the holes that had been occupied by eyes seconds before, a scream caught his attention. He and Jak both looked over to see a Centipede looming over Keira, opening its circular mouth and preparing to devour the (in its opinion) lovely delectable she-elf. Jak and Benedict both moved so fast they seemed to teleport towards the creature. Keira and Daxter both fainted just as the Centipede rushed down to claim her flesh for its stomach. Jak appeared for a split second in front of them before grabbing the Ottsel and Keira and dashing away, flying into the air to ensure no harm came to the elf and rodent that were so dear to him.

Benedict went absolutely berserk, hacking and carving away at the Centipede. He continued to slash at it even after it had been separated into dozens of pieces. With a final roar, he brought his sword down on what remained of the head and flames erupted and melted the flesh of the Centipede, not to mention turning the sand underneath its corpse into glass.

Jak set Keira down once more where she would be safe from harm -he hoped- and went to kill the final Centipede. To his surprise, it had decided to retreat. Suddenly, Jak heard an Eco Saber being turned on and he spun around, raising his Blade vertically next to his face, blocking a strike that would have decapitated him had it hit him. Gol hissed in fury and was suddenly struck in the head by Wartstal. He got up and bared his fangs at the two of them. He vanished with a puff of smoke and appeared right in front of them.

Gol telekinetically lifted Jak and threw him away. He then struck at Wartstal with Dark Lightning. Wartstal used his Saber to absorb it, snarling at Gol the entire time. Gol spread his hands slightly and his lightning attack branched out. While the center blast remained on the sword, two streams broke off and attacked Wartstal from either side. He lifted Wartstal up and threw him away with the sheer power of his Channeled attack.

Jak lunged in suddenly and caused Gol to lose his focus. Wartstal's steaming body hit the ground and sank into the hot sand. Gol grabbed his blade with his right hand. Jak pressed harder against the metallic version of Gol's hand, but this odd red metal seemed to be able to resist his Blade's power. Jak leaned back, causing Gol to come forward and Jak dropped to the floor, using his legs and Gol's momentum to slam the Sage into a dune. Gol reactivated his Eco Saber and sliced right through Jak's Eco Blade. Jak stared at Gol in disbelief for an instant before grabbing his own Eco Saber. The two of them battled viciously as Benedict recovered from the intense rush his body had been through. As he approached, Gol made a fatal error, allowing Jak to get in and disarm him.

Jak kicked Gol to the ground and pointed his Saber directly between Gol's eyes. His look said it all; "Your plot to gain control of Weyard is over… you have lost." Gol glared at Jak, any bout of sanity that was in his eyes vanished as he snarled at him.

"No! No! You will die!" Gol proclaimed as he raised his hands, and Dark Lightning bolts shot out. They were blocked by Jak's Eco Saber. Gol got pushed back against the rock as he backed away from the rebounding bolts. As he looked around, his face full of fear, he caught sight of Benedict. "He is a traitor, Benedict."

Jak looked over at Benedict and was amazed to see that he was starting to believe what Gol was saying. He shook his head and pointed at Gol.

"Come to your senses, boy. The Channeler and the Sages are in revolt. They will betray you, just as they are betraying me." Gol called to the confused Channeler. Jak started groaning with the strain of blocking Gol's power. "You are not one of them, Benedict. Don't let him kill me." Gol pleaded.

Jak groaned louder as the strain to block Gol's energy became tougher. "I am your pathway to power. I have the power to save the one you love. You must choose. You must stop him." Gol continued, trying to sway Benedict. Jak shook his head frantically, sensing that Benedict was beginning to go over to Gol's side.

"Help me! Don't let him kill me. I can't hold on any longer. Ahhhhhhh…" Gol began yelling in pain as Jak pushed Gol all the way to the rock. As Jak moved closer, the bolts from Gol's hands begin to arch back on him. The Sage's face began to twist and distort as the destructive power of his own attack went through his body. His eyes began to glow red as he struggled to intensify his powers.

"I can't ... I give up. Help me. I am weak ... I am too weak. Don't kill me. I give up. I'm dying. I can't hold on any longer." Gol said weakly as his bolts stopped and Jak let out a deep breath. Jak once again steadied his Saber, pointing it at Gol's throat this time.

"You can't kill him, Jak. He must be tried by the Sages." Benedict pleaded. Jak shook his head and glared at Gol, no pity in his gaze for once.

Gol nodded at Benedict's plead, knowing that Benedict was starting to convert. "I'm too weak. Don't kill me. Please." Gol pleaded as Jak started to raise his blade.

"He must live," Benedict said, trying to reason with his friend.

"Please don't, please don't…" Gol begged.

"I need him…" Benedict said desperately. Jak shook his head once more and brought his arm down, ready to decapitate the Dark Lord and end the battle once and for all.

"NO!" Benedict screamed as he closed his eyes and fired a beam at Jak's sword arm, knocking his Saber away but causing no harm to the Channeler himself. As Jak stared at Benedict in shock, Gol suddenly sprang to life. He raised his hands again and Jak caught the full force of Gol's powerful Bolts. He attempted to block them with his hands, but the force was too great. As purple rays engulf his body, his eyes rolled back into his skull from the pain and his body was levitated clear off the ground.

"Power! Unlimited power!" Gol screamed in triumph as he blasted Jak away thirty feet. As he got up, Benedict saw Gol for what he truly was, his face a horrible mask of evil. Benedict looks on in horror as Gol levitated himself off the ground a few inches and cackled.

"What have I done?" Benedict said, tears streaming down his face as he sat on the sand.

"You are fulfilling your destiny, Benedict. Become my apprentice. Learn to use Dark Eco." Gol said, looking down at the shattered elf.

"I will do whatever you ask." Benedict said, his voice trembling.

"Good." Gol said, a horrible smiling making its way onto his face.

Just help me save Keira's life. I can't live without her. I won't let her die. I want the power to stop death." Benedict begged.

"To cheat death is a power only one has achieved, but if we work together, I know we can discover the secret." Gol said. Benedict kneeled before Gol.

"I pledge myself to your teachings. To the ways of the Dark Lords." Benedict proclaimed as he looked down, but kept his head up.

"Good. Good." Gol said softly. "A powerful Dark Lord you will become. Henceforth, you shall be known as… Torqueo…" Benedict bowed his head.

"Thank you. My Master." he muttered.

"Rise, Torqueo."

"Yes Master," Torqueo muttered before standing up and walking behind his new master, the one who would use and manipulate him in an insane attempt to drive the last bits of humanity he had out of Benedict's soul. Jak began to stir and saw Benedict standing behind Gol. As he raised himself up and gathered two Eco Blades, he leapt into the air and fused them together again. As he brought the Blade crashing down, Benedict swiftly stepped in front of Gol to protect him, his arms spread out in defense. Jak's eyes widened and he averted his attack to the left. As he regained his balance, he stared at Benedict with a look of dawning horror on his face. Benedict closed his eyes and grimaced before blasting Jak back a few feet with a mild Yellow Eco Blast. Gol let out a scream of triumph as he vanished, taking his new apprentice with him.

Jak sat down, his mind refusing to comprehend what had just happened. Benedict- his friend, ally, apprentice, had just attacked him in order to save Gol. Jak closed his eyes as he felt new power; evil power. It was growing. Jak smirked at himself. For about a week, he had felt an evil presence growing, but he had never suspected it had come from his friend. He walked over to Wartstal and heaved him over his shoulder. He then dropped the Lurker by Keira and picked up Daxter. After storing the Ottsel in his backpack, Jak picked Wartstal back up. He then bent over Keira and revived her with Green Eco, emptying his entire Box into her.

"Jak?" Keira asked, slightly befuddled. He looked down, unable to meet her eyes. "Where's Benedict."

Jak closed his eyes and looked away, but not before Keira saw the look of pain that went across his face. "I'll tell you when we get to the city," Jak wrote in the sand. Keira nodded, knowing something really bad must have happened. Jak hunched forward so Wartstal was balanced on his shoulder and picked Keira up in his arms. Suddenly the remaining Centipede that had run away burst out of the sands. It lunged down and a figure clad in loose red clothes ran up and ripped it to shreds. As it landed, Jak wearily prepared to either fight it or run away, depending on how strong it was.  
"Here, let me help you out with that load." Jak smiled gratefully as he recognized the figure as Hatu. Hatu picked Wartstal up and he and Jak made their way to Wasteland Metropolis. Hatu ran along the ground while Jak flew the air. "I got a bad feeling and figured I should come after you." Haut called to Jak, who gave him a thumbs-up. When they landed in Wasteland Metropolis, Jak made sure no one was watching before Hatu carried Wartstal into the Yellow Sage's hut. It was, predictably, empty, with burn marks everywhere. Jak set Keira down, blushing slightly; she had been hanging onto his even after they had touched ground, keeping her arms wrapped around his neck. The two of them looked at each other before looking away, their faces turning red.

"It's about time!" Samos proclaimed as he fell on his face coming out of the Warp Gate. "Wait a second, where is Benedict?"

"I'd like to know that too Jak," Keira piped up.

"I assume Benedict is the one who accused me of trying to betray you," Hatu said smoothly. "I am also curious as to his whereabouts." Jak closed his eyes, resisting the urge to cry. He left the room and returned with a pen and some paper.

"Benedict has turned to the dark side." He passed this note around the room and saw their reactions. Wartstal gazed in disbelief, Hatu closed his eyes, and Samos sat down, a look of dawning horror on his face, much like the one that Jak had been wearing when he saw Benedict risk his life to save Gol. But Keira refused to believe it.

"You're wrong! How could you even write that Jak?"

"I tried to kill Gol, but he stopped me. I tried again and he put his body in front of Gol and then he attacked me."

"Not Benedict! He couldn't!" Keira pleaded, tears welling up in her eyes. Even as she fought to not believe Jak, she knew that he would never lie to her.

"He was deceived by a lie. It appears that after the death of Escuro, Benedict became his new apprentice." Jak wrote. Keira started crying; she had never felt fully comfortable around Benedict, but she had no idea he would do something like this.

"So what do we do?" Hatu asked. Jak shrugged and sat down, internally defeated.

"No matter how much I hate to admit it, I think we might have to destroy him if is truly converted to evil," Samos said reluctantly.

"Is there no other way?" Jak wrote. He didn't want to have to be the one who had to kill Benedict, and he knew the responsibility would fall on his shoulders. Wartstal and Hatu combined wouldn't be much more than a warm-up for someone like Benedict; Jak had seen how much his powers had increased lately. Keira was in no shape to fight, and Samos was forbidden as a Sage to take an elf's life.

"He has become a very great threat." Samos said gravely.

"Why? Why is Gol doing this? Benedict probably wasn't strong enough to be a real threat. Why does Gol feel the need to either corrupt or destroy everything that opposes him, even if it no threat?" Keira asked, her voice rising. Jak looked at her, his soul in agony. For all his power and cunning, there was nothing he could do to make Keira feel better. A swift blast of rage worked through his mind at Benedict, for causing her this pain, before being directed at Gol. It all came back to him. He was the one who had destroyed so much, the one who had ripped countless lives apart.

Only a Dark Lord deals in absolutes." Samos said. "Gol does these things out of fear. He knows that one person, however weak and insignificant, can rally the masses to stop his plan."

* * *

"Focus," Gol commanded. Benedict nodded and tried even harder to pick up the thoughts coming from Gol's head. As he strained, he heard a voice echoing inside his own head. "Good. Good. You are fast becoming a powerful Channeler. Soon you will be ready to destroy Jak. When that is accomplished, my plan will succeed and Keira will go to you." 

"Thank you for agreeing not to kill her, Master." Benedict said.

"You are welcome. I would not allow for any harm to come to the elf that you love so much. But if she refuses to go with you, what will you do?"

"I will gently convince her that to be with me would be her best option. She is wrong about Jak, thinking he is the stronger one. I am more powerful than he is." Benedict said, his power soaring as his rage grew. "Once Jak is dead, Keira will love me." Benedict said, his eyes flashing. Gol noticed the quick flash in Benedict's eyes and smiled; the evil inside Torqueo was growing, blotting out the good soul that was trapped inside Benedict's shattered heart.

"And now, I have decided that you need to be trained in combat. My minion, Gravis will teach you in the arts of Saber combat."

"Thank you, Master," Benedict said.

"So, you decided to take us up on our offer. Good job. Here," Gravis said, tossing an object to Benedict, who caught and ignited it. It was a doubled-sided Eco Saber. Two beams of dark light shot out at opposite ends, giving it the appearance of an extremely deadly Bo-staff. Benedict spun the handle around a few times. Gravis took one off his belt and ignited it.

"Get ready, the way I teach is to attack you. You're not in mortal danger. These blades aren't much more than shafts of light. Now get ready, here I come," Gravis said as he lunged at Benedict.

* * *

"You guys think we should go see what's in town?" Daxter asked. After he had woken up, they had explained what happened and for once he was not himself. The perverted and happy-go-lucky kind at least. The 'I won't stop talking ever' side was still very much present. 

Jak went out and saw the villagers staring at him. Ignoring them, he admired the large town. I was about the size of Sandover, but the shorter buildings were about the same size as the Mayor's windmill. One house caught his eye. It was sandwiched in between buildings that made the Mayor's house in Sandover look like a homeless shelter. It was not elaborately designed, nor was it very big. It was the fact that is was only the size of a normal house that caught Jak's attention. There was a single symbol on the door: a red sword crossed with a green sword. Jak held up his hand to stop Keira and pointed to the hut.

As they entered the house, a feeling of incorrectness passed over Jak. The walked from a small room into what appeared to be a training area. As Keira sped up slightly top walk next to Jak rather than behind him, the sense of erroneousness increased. He suddenly spun around and blocked a metal blade from shearing Keira in half. He grabbed the blade with his hands and forced it to the ground, holding it away from her. A second blade was raised and Jak put himself in front of Keira while maintaining a grip on the first sword.

"You would sacrifice your life for another. That is good." A deep voice said. It was soothing, yet it had an undercurrent of authority and power that was undeniable. The being holding the swords stepped out of the shadows and revealed himself to be an old man. Not terribly old, Jak thought as he surveyed this possible foe, but definitely no longer at his prime. Thick grey hair was on top of the man's head, as well as his eyebrows. His physique was not bulky, and he did not have a lot of muscles, but Jak could not find an ounce of fat on the man save for the face, which was strong looking. Silver-grey eyes were set into a rounded-boyish looking face. Jak finished analyzing this elf in a second and assumed a combat stance, eliciting a chuckle from the odd man.

"Come now, I have no wish to fight." The man said as he sheathed his swords.

"No wish to fight?" Keira asked disbelievingly. "You just tried to kill me!"

"Please. I could have killed you both a number of times if I truly wanted. Feel these blades," the man said as he unsheathed one of his swords. Jak hesitantly took it and rubbed his thumb up and down it. It was duller than a butter knife; the only real thing it could be used for was as a club. He handed it back to the man. "Plus, I have complete control. Watch," the man grabbed his sword and leapt ten feet in the air. He brought his blade smashing down, aiming for Jak's head. Jak quickly crossed his forearms and waited for the blow but it never came. He opened his eyes and saw that the old man had landed, keeping his sword about half an inch away from Jak's armor. Jak nodded and finally believed the old man meant no harm.

"My guess is that you came here wondering why this house is so small. I like to remain inconspicuous, but ever since this town got built up, I stick out like a sore thumb. Have you any idea who I am?" Jak and Keira both shook their heads; Daxter was still in shock of the man's skills.

"Well then, let me introduce myself. I am Sett, master of the Sky Fang Style. It's a type of form that is split into three different varieties: Jar Kai, Makashi, and Shien. If you want, I would take you on as a student. Normally, I don't train anyone, but there is something different about you. Your soul is like a light, bright and pure, with no dark thoughts or intentions. Do you wish to be trained by me?" Jak looked at Keira, who just stared at him. He nodded. Sett smiled warmly.

"Good, now what is your name?"

"His name is Jak. I'm Keira, and that's Daxter," Keira explained as she pointed to Daxter.

"Thank you for introducing yourself, but I asked Jak. Is there a reason that you answered for him?" A hint of annoyance in Sett's voice. When Keira answered, her voice had the same touch of annoyance.

"Yes. Jak can't talk." The look on Sett's face changed from one of annoyance to pity.

"My apologies. I did not know." Jak smiled and mimed writing something down. Sett nodded and got Jak a pen and paper.

"Go back to the house and tell Samos what is happening. Let me know if something important. I'll miss you." Keira blushed slightly but nodded. She took Daxter and went back to Samos to tell her father what was going on. Sett tossed Jak a dull blade and assumed an orthodox stance.

"Right then, I'll train you in Makashi first. It is the easiest of all three forms, yet most people die in a fight if they attempt to use this form without good hand-eye coordination and precision. This form is under the philosophy that even pinpricks can be lethal if enough of them are inflicted." Jak nodded. "Get ready Jak," Sett said as he lunged at Jak, explaining all the time.

"So Jak will be trained by Sett? I haven't seen him for a long time." Samos said softly.

"You know him Dad?" Keira asked, surprised that her father knew people this far away from the village.

"Yes. He is an excellent swordsman. Jak will become a powerful fighter under his teachings. We will wait for Jak to return before setting off for the Red Eco Temple."

And so for seven days, Jak was trained continuously by Sett. Although he had barely scratched the surface of the true power of the Makashi style, he was rapidly becoming skilled in its form. On the dawn of the eighth day, there was a rumbling in the distance. The two of them looked outside to see Lurkers swarming the village. Jak quickly activated his Eco Saber and leapt into the fray. Sett ran back inside the house and grabbed one blade that seemed to be made out of a orange metal. The two of them decimated the Lurkers' armies, but not with casualties. When Jak was finished wiping away the last of the Lurkers, he went to see Samos, who was tending to the sick.

"Seventy three have died Jak. If there is another attack like this, the town might be wiped out. I think its time we challenge Gol in his Citadel. I cannot allow these atrocities to continue. Jak, I need you to go to the Red Eco Temple. It has been pulling at my soul, but I did not want to disturb your training. I will be able to teleport to Gol's Citadel and I will try to stop him. I am not able to bring you along. I can only teleport myself." Jak closed his eyes and sat down at the table next to Samos. He pulled a pencil toward him and wrote on the table.

"Send me to kill Gol. I will not kill Benedict."

"I wish I could Jak, but you are not strong enough to fight this Dark Lord."

"He is like my brother. I cannot do it." Jak protested.

"Benedict has become twisted by the dark side. The adolescent you trained, he is gone… consumed by Torqueo." Jak sighed and wrote again on the table.

"How could it have come to this? Why is this happening. It feels like every time we think we've hit rock bottom, we're handed a shovel."

"There is no time to question." Samos said sternly.  
"I don't know where to look for him." Jak wrote, hoping that Samos would accept that as an excuse and revoke the order to kill Benedict.

"Neither do I Jak. Go to the Temple. If he is not waiting for you there, then at least you will gain new powers. My task is to visit Gol." Samos said as he sat down and crossed his legs. He muttered incoherently under his breath for a while and then a green light formed around him until he was in a bubble. With a small pop, he simply vanished.

"Hey Jak!" Keira called. Jak turned around and saw Keira running at him. He let out a gasp as she embraced him before hugging her back. A small cough stopped them just as he leaned down to kiss her.

"Uh look, as much as I hate to brake up the Hallmark moment, we need to get to the Temple Jak," Daxter said. Jak rolled his eyes and reluctantly stepped away from Keira. "Hey Jak." Keira called again. Jak turned around and saw her holding out a belt much like the one he was wearing. This one had bigger boxes. "I remade your Eco Boxes so that they can hold twice as much Eco." Jak just grinned like a kid that had gotten everything he wanted at once for Christmas as he hooked them up.

As Jak prepared to leave, Keira approached him again. Jak turned around just as he was preparing to go through the Warp Gate. After Wartstal tested it out, he said that the connection to the Lava Tube was indeed still open. "I want to go with you to the Lava Tube." Jak looked at her like she was crazy and shook his head. Keira narrowed her eyes at him.

"I don't want to go into the Temple, but according to Potentia's notes, there's a lot of ancient Precursor technology. I just want to look there and see if I can salvage anything useful. After that, I'll come back right away." Jak sighed and reluctantly nodded, knowing she would come along whether he said she could or not.

They three of them went through the Warp Gate and came out at the beginning of a long hallway. As they approached the end, Jak felt a presence. He made a sign for Keira to stop and he peered into the next room. He saw Benedict waiting- most likely for him. He was not welcoming; he was dressed in all black with a black cape. The background was not inviting; there was a massive lava flow, black dirt , and a number of towers that looked suspiciously like they were made out of Precursor metal. He crawled back and told Keira what was going on.

"Let me try to reason with him Jak." Keira whispered. He shook his head no, but she explained. "I don't think he would hurt me. He likes me too much." Once again, Jak gave in. The last thing he needed was an evil Benedict _and_ a Keira mad at him.

Keira bravely walked into the next room while Jak stayed nearby, unnoticed. "Benedict," she cried as she ran to him. A warm smile lit up his features as he saw her.

"Keira, what are you doing out here?" he asked as he stepped closer.

"I was so worried about you. Jak told me terrible things." she said. A shadow of worry crossed his face as he responded.

"What things?"

"He said you have turned to the dark side… that you attacked him." Benedict closed his eyes.

"Jak is trying to turn you against me." he said, but his body language betrayed him; he was nervous.

"He cares about you." Keira pleaded.

"Me!" Benedict asked in amazement.

"He wants to help you." she continued.

"Is Jak going to protect you? He can't…he can't help you. He's not strong enough." Benedict declared.

"Benedict, all I want is your friendship."

"Friendship won't save you, Keira. Only my new powers can do that."

"At what cost? You are a good person. Don't do this." Keira begged, starting to see what Jak had talked about before.

"I won't lose you! I've become more powerful than Jak has ever dreamed of and I've done it for you. To protect you."

"Come away with me. Leave Gol behind while we still can." Keira asked, holding out her hand. Benedict just smiled, but this time, there was nothing comforting about it.

"Don't you see, we don't have to run away anymore. I will peace to Weyard." he said, before lowering his voice. "I am more powerful than Gol. I can overthrow him, and together you and I can rule the land. Make things the way we want them to be." Keira stepped back with a look of horror on her face.

"I don't believe what I'm hearing… Jak was right. You've changed." Benedict closed his eyes as though asking for patience.

"I don't want to hear any more about Jak." he said, waving his hand to stop her from protesting. A look of anger began to grow on his face as he continued. "Jak turned against me. Don't you turn against me." Keira closed her eyes as she backed away from the elf that she thought she had known.

"I don't know you anymore. Benedict, you are going down a path I can't follow." Benedict set his face as he looked down at her.

"Because of Jak?" he asked, anger apparent in his voice.

"Because of what you've done… what you plan to do. Stop, stop now. Come back! Please!" Jak leaned out a little to catch Benedict's response and the twisted elf spotted him. He looked at Keira with rage etched into every line of his face.

"Liar!" he bellowed at her. Keira turned around and saw Jak standing in the doorway of the Lava Tube.

"No!" she pleaded.

"You're with him. You've betrayed me! You brought him here to kill me!" Benedict yelled.

"NO! Benedict. I swear… I …" Benedict did not allow her to continue, as he raised his hand and Channeled Blue Eco. He gripped his thumb and pointer together and Keira's windpipe closed as she was lifted off the ground. Keira grabbed her throat as she started to choke.

Jak was horrorstruck, his mind screaming at Benedict to let her go. Benedict looked over at him.

"What have you and she been up to?" he roared. Jak's mind simply did nothing else except scream at him to release her. To his surprise, Benedict released his grip on the unconscious Keira and the girl crumpled to the ground. "I can hear your thoughts Jak. You can't hide from me." Jak simply looked at Keira before gazing at Benedict, his body generating waves of rage so powerful that Daxter felt the already sweltering temperature rise.

"You turned her against me." Benedict shouted.

Jak figured that since Benedict could hear his thoughts he may as well respond. "You have done that yourself." he proclaimed as the two of them circled each other.

"You will not take her from me." Benedict shouted as he shook off the black cloak he had been wearing.

Jak continued to circle with Benedict as he psychically answered. "Your anger and your lust for power have already done that." Benedict snorted. "You have allowed your Dark Lord to twist your mind until now… until now you have become the very thing you swore to destroy." Jak continued. They circled each other until Jak was near Keira. He placed his hand on her and took Daxter off his shoulder and placed his friend on Keira. He had two good reasons; Daxter would die before letting anything happen to Keira, and if there was a fight, he did not want his best friend harmed.

"Don't lecture me, Jak. I see through the lies of the Sages. I do not fear Dark Eco as you do. I have brought peace, justice, freedom, and security to Gol's new Empire." Benedict proudly proclaimed as he spun around and looked over the Lava Tube. He closed his eyes as he imagined apologizing to Keira and she forgiving him and leaving with him. Jak looked at him in amazement as his mind sent a question into the air.

"Gol's new _Empire_?"

Benedict's eyes opened. "Don't make me kill you."

"Benedict, my allegiance is to the Sages' Council… to democracy." Jak argued.

"If you're not with me, you're my enemy." Benedict said. Jak stared at him for a second as he remembered a quote of Samos' that he had heard a week ago.

"'Only a Dark Lord deals in absolutes.' I will do what I must." Jak thought as he turned his red Eco Saber on.

"You will try." Benedict said as he spun around and grabbed an exceptionally long hilt. He activated it and two dark purple shafts of light shot out of either end. They two of them sized each other up before attacking...

* * *

Samos strode into Gol's throne room, knocking the two Scouts guarding the entrance out with his staff. Gol stood up from his seat and looked at Samos, who stood quite calmly. 

"I hear you have a new apprentice. Gol, or should I call you Darth Akaron?" Samos said conversationally.

"Master Hagia, you decided to visit me at the firmament of my power?"

"Surprised?" Samos asked. Gol narrowed his eyes.

"Your arrogance blinds you, Master Hagai. Now you will experience the full power of Dark Eco." The Dark Lord raised his arms, and Dark Lightning shot out of his fingertips, surrounding Samos. Samos was picked up and thrown across the room, hitting the wall and sliding down in a crumpled heap. Gol chuckled. "I have waited a long time for this moment, my little green friend. At last, Silos will be opened." Samos pushed himself to his feet.

"Not if anything I have to say about it, Lord Akaron." He raised his hand and a shockwave went through the air and collided with Gol. The Dark Lord was knocked clear over his chair and onto the floor in a heap. Samos started walking to the Sage. "Your rule is at an end, and it was not short enough, I must say." Gol snarled at him before leaping over Samos and heading for the exit. At the last second, Samos flew into the exit and stopped the Dark Lord from escaping.

"If you are so powerful, why leave?" Samos asked as he pulled out a Eco Saber and lit it. The bright green light lit up the room.

Gol snarled at his former friend and bared his teeth. "You will not stop me. Darth Torqueo will become more powerful than either of us." he said confidently as he activated his own dark purple Eco Saber.

"Your faith in your new apprentice, may be misplaced, as is your faith in the dark side." Samos said. The two Sages stared at each other before lunging at each other, screaming battle cries at the top of their lungs...

* * *

Ok. I just filled out retraining orders to protect myself, because I am sure that someone out there wants to kill me. Well, I'm sure you guys saw this coming. So next chapter will be the big showdown between Gol and Samos, and Torqueo and Jak. Until next week, this is Farr2rich, reminding you all TO READ RED MAGE 04 AND ANIMEDRAGONGIRL'S WORKS BECAUSE THEY RULE! Oh and coincidentally, does anyone know where I can find a lawyer? George Lucas is suing me for reasons I cannot comprehend. Anyway, when I get out of prison, sometime in the next three to five years, I'll update. See you all next week. 


	21. Duel of the Apprentices

animedragongirl- Well, I'm glad I recommended your story, and I didn't do it for redemption. I figure everyone should enjoy the comedic antics of your genius. I have many, many copies of restraining orders, but for some reason the safe guy contacted me and said they were all gone, so I have gone into hiding at the federal prison thanks to George Lucas. I still don't know what I did. As for the guy you chased, that was my clone. Convincing, no> :P. Keep up with the hilarity of The Jak and Daxter Prank War (A MUST READ!) and come up with some more pranks soon.

Red Mage 04- Yup, all we need now is a tall, dark armored cyborg with a breathing problem. But your not gonna get it. I realized I used some Star Wars quotes a bit too much, but as to the dark side, I don't mean the force, I mean of the human nature. For example, I am sure in nearly every version of Jak II, Jak at some point and time comes to rely on and faith in his Dark Eco powers. There have been Sages of all Ecos since the beginning of civilization. There have been good Dark Sages, and bad Red, Blue, Yellow and Green Sages. For example, the only thing stopping Samos from being evil and trying to use his powers to suck the life out of other creatures, transfer it to his body, and make himself immortal are his ethics. At least my battle scenes are improving, because that's what this chapter is: one big battle. Sorry to say, but you won't see the Red Eco Temple today, that is a chore for next week, and right in time for Halloween, too. Keep up the good work with your own story, and please update soon. Oh, I forgot to mention this, but I think that Kage should at some point in time save Vegar's life. I think that would cause the (as Kage so benevolently put it) "thrice be damned councilman" to be put in agony, knowing he owed his life to the very being he despises so much.

Amathist Fwirrel- No, I think part of the design for Samos was derived from Yoda. Because face it, Yoda kicks ass. The looking, I'm just wondering how long you spent in therapy, and at the same time betting that it wasn't half as long as my therapist said it was. Hehe, Darth Mar. No, you don't need to comment on my writing but I appreciate that you do. Yes, I am a Star Wars junkie, but after this chapter, you really won't be seeing a lot of intentional influence. One note though, and you probably noticed, but you got the names mixed up: Benedict is becoming a type of Anakin, not Jak.

Lauren- You probably did review, but it can take up to an entire day for it to show up. Yea, I know I'm risking being sued by Lucas, but in my opinion, I love Star Wars. And I love it so much I figured I should write a chapter using the dialogue from the movie. Fortunately, this isn't going to last; this chapter will be the last one that rips off on Star Wars, and it won't even be a lot (just a little dialogue). Also, don't criticize my reviewers, because they don't criticize you.

* * *

The Parallel Power War: Duel of the Apprentices

Jak and Benedict charged each other, whirling their Sabers around in an attempt to disorientate and confuse the other. Jak leapt into the air as Benedict swung his double bladed sword, not only dodging the attack, but placing himself in an ideal spot to end the fight with only one blow. As he stabbed, Benedict flipped his Saber around and parried the block without looking. He spun around, putting so much force behind his blade that Jak had to step back. As Benedict struck and chopped, Jak found himself desperately blocking and dodging. After a minute of this, Jak knew he had to get back on the offensive or he would never win. As he ducked a swipe, he punched Benedict in the chest and sent his opponent staggering back a few inches. Benedict instantly tried to strike Jak once again, coming in low intending to cut Jak's feet out from under him. Or just plain off, it really didn't matter to him. Jak blocked it and struck forward, swinging his Saber horizontally to decapitate the dark Channeler.

Benedict blocked the blow with ease, but was frustrated. Being trained by Gravis meant that this fight should have already been over, but it appeared that Jak's swordsmanship had improved greatly in the small amount of time that had passed. He was distracted by his musings by Jak trying to cut him in half by the waist. Rather that blocking Jak with the same side, Benedict simply changed his swords angle slightly and once again blocked the incoming blow. As Jak blocked and struck, he slowly pushed the bigger Channeler away. He continued walking towards Benedict, both ensuring his opponent would not get a chance to rest and hoping that with his back against the wall, his adversary would flee.

Benedict quickly caught onto Jak's game plan and back flipped, landing on a boulder. Jak jumped up to meet him, bringing his sword straight down. Benedict blocked and elbowed Jak in the face as he landed. Jak was stunned momentarily from the blow and was punched in the jaw. He fell backwards off the boulder and landed on his back. As Benedict came down, he deflected the blow and kicked him in the stomach. Benedict backed off, gasping for air as Jak got to his feet. They both took deep breaths as they surveyed each other, thinking of a new strategy. Jak came in with his Saber horizontal, but quickly changed it to a downward slash. Benedict brought his weapon up vertically to block the incoming slash when Jak flipped angled and quickly had to change his own to avoid dying. They locked blades for an instant and Jak backed off, not wanting to get into a struggle of brute force. He spun around three hundred and sixty degrees and tried to sheer Benedict's legs off. Rather than blocking it, Benedict simply jumped into the air and did a split, effectively dodging the mortal blow.

As his opponent landed, Jak brought his sword down to the right but was blocked. He moved to his side so his arm was ticking straight out and waited for Benedict to take the bait. As his opponent made to slice the appealing limb off, Jak moved his arm out of harms way so fast it appeared to simply vanish. As he pulled his arm back, Jak rotated on the ball of his left foot and kicked Benedict in the chest with the heel of his right. The two of them circled each other again, trying to think of a strategy that would win the match. Jak backed off half a step and waited, wanting to be on the defensive for a bit and lure Benedict in. As the Channeler was attacked, he flipped his blade so he was holding it knife-style. He quickly blocked the torrent off attacks coming at him and tried to slice Benedict's feet off again. He was blocked and as the dark blade came up, his Saber was throw into the air. Benedict smiled at the defeated opponent but then frowned. If Jak had truly lost, why was he just standing there. Benedict backed off and was immediately thankful that he did; Jak's Saber imbedded itself in the ground and if he hadn't of moved, Benedict would have caught the sword in the top of his head. Jak grabbed the Saber out of the ground and blocked an incoming strike at his face.

Benedict snarled as he pushed Jak back; his hatred and anger feeding his body and giving extra power. He brought one blade straight down and then flipped his sword so that he would cut Jak in half from between the legs up. Jak jumped straight up as the weapon came in and landed on Benedict's sword. He balanced on the hilt of the double bladed sword for an instant before hopping down. As Benedict staggered to regain his balance, Jak came in with a level slash aimed at the hips. Unfortunately for him, it was blocked. Benedict came in with two quick blows on opposite sides of Jak's head. Jak blocked them with lightning quick efficiency and brought his blade crashing down.

Benedict saw the blow and decided that he could either end the fight here and now or draw it out and make Jak suffer. He chose the latter and widened his grip on his sword. His hands were now bordering on being burned away from his own twin Sabers, but he needed to whole hilt to use this move effectively. He brought it up quickly and Jak got hit in the wrists by the blow. In addition, his attack was now nullified. Benedict pushed up, throwing Jak off balance and spun around and kicked the Channeler in the chest. Jak went flying back and slammed into a nearby rock. As his body crumpled to the ground, he healed himself with Green Eco. He looked over at his opponent, smiling in that smug fashion and the blood began to pound in his ears. Jak shook his head, not wanting to allow his anger to be his downfall and leapt into the air. As he landed a few feet away from Benedict, he leapt in and struck at the same time, using the momentum from his landing carry him forward.

Jak slammed his Saber into Benedict's, not really aiming to hit him, but wanting to gain momentum from a series of hits that would throw his adversary off balance. His drive was broken when he had to duck an incoming blow. He saw Benedict getting ready to cut him from the back as he came up and put his Saber behind his back and blocked the blow. He quickly brought it back in front of his chest to block a hit that would have done the same thing on the front side; sheer him in half. The two exchanged about fifteen blows in the next three seconds and backed off again, trying to scare each other by whirling their Sabers around in intricate pattern. Benedict spun around two times before swinging one side of his sword in. He pulled it towards him so it wouldn't be a threat, but then quickly thrust it out again and stopped moving. He brought the same side in from an opposite direction and was dismayed when Jak didn't fall for his trick.

Jak brought his knee up and slammed it into the hilt of Benedict's sword. As it came up, Jak spun around and sliced it cleanly in half. He frowned as he watched it simply separate into two different blades. He had expected at least one (if not both), of the Sabers to be deactivated. Benedict looked down at his new Sabers and then glared at Jak.

"Round one goes to you Jak, but I will win the war."

"We will see," Jak responded telepathically. Benedict roared and brought his swords in, screaming all the time.

"Damn," thought Jak as Benedict attacked mercilessly. "I thought he was hard with that damned fancy double sided Saber." The two of them locked Sabers and once again leapt back, not caring the other saw them gasp for breath. Jak wondered how long they had been fighting. He put it a range of about an hour without rest. He steadied his Saber and waited for Benedict to come off the rock he was standing on.

Jak watched Benedict tense up and he leapt at the same time as the Dark Channeler. He blocked an incoming strike as Benedict spun around and attacked with his back turned. Jak tried to end the fight with a blow to the head but Benedict must have known it was coming, as the dark Saber blocking Jak's strike testified. Benedict crossed his arms as he lashed out yet again at Jak and was surprised at the speed with which Jak blocked and countered. Jak ducked and back flipped as Benedict spun around and made a double strike at the same time. He rushed back in with an overhead chop and the two of them meleed for a while, swinging their Sabers so fast it would have been impossible to differentiate them had they not been different colors. Indeed, Jak found himself almost guessing at which Saber was which, they both moved so fast.

Jak knocked away both of Benedict's Sabers with one strike and slash, but Benedict simply jumped over Jak with a flip and some twirls. Benedict landed in a combat stance and ran in, holding one of his Sabers knife-style. He charged and attempted to sheer Jak in half with the Saber farther away from Jak, but did not succeed. As he ran past Jak he swung the Saber that was closer backwards and glared at nothing in particular when he felt it stop. He continued spinning and swinging, giving himself a dradle-like appearance. Jak blocked the incoming strikes that were varied in height and once or twice had to jump or duck to avoid being cut in half. As the strikes became faster, Jak knew he wouldn't be able to block fast enough and he started to back-peddle. It was a move that would prove to be a mistake.

Benedict stopped his assault as he watched Jak back off and deactivated one of his Sabers. He held both in his normal hand and punched with the new one made from Precursor metal. Jak went flying back as he felt wind emanate from the hand. He stared at Benedict in shock he avoided another "punch" and turned around as he heard a crunching sound behind him. A rock that was behind him had a crater in it that was about six inches around. Jak once again stared at his friend turned opponent.

"Nice new trick huh?" Benedict said smugly. Jak just kept staring, at a lost for words, even if he could speak. Benedict smiled; Jak's mind was numb, most likely with fear. Benedict rushed in with another double strike and Jak jumped over Benedict. Benedict followed Jak with his eye and rushed in. Jak did a split in the air to keep his legs and punched Benedict as he landed. As Benedict stepped back, Jak rushed in and tossed his Saber into the air. Benedict's eyes followed the weapon rather than the opponent and he paid for it. Jak turned both of his hands into palm heels and inverted them so the palms were facing up. He rushed in and brought his hands into his own chest. He reached Benedict and struck, slamming the dark Channeler in the ribs, and probably breaking a few of them in the process. Benedict slammed backwards into a rock and went right through it. Jak caught his Eco Saber and began walking slowly towards Benedict, his hair and clothes blowing around in the wind that was picking up. Benedict snarled and picked up a piece of rock with his metal hand. After crushing it into powder, he hurled the dust at Jak and the Channeler leapt back as a strike came in that he could not see.

Jak wiped at his eyes furiously, trying to clear his vision before he was cut down by the most skilled opponent he had faced yet. Benedict came rushing in, eager to take advantage of his opponent's apparent weakness and received a swift kick to the chest as a reward for not thinking clearly. As he backed up, he once again became consumed by his rage and attacked blindly. Jak blocked all of the incoming strikes before sliding between Benedict's feet. He flipped up and began the duel again, thinking with satisfaction of how much he was annoying Benedict. Jak had noticed that while his power and speed increased with his rage, Benedict's technique fell sharply. It was only a matter of time until he screwed up, and then Jak would take his chance and end this conflict.

Jak once again blocked an incoming blow from below and spun the Saber so that it flew out of Benedict's hand and into the pool of lava, where it sank below the molten lake. Benedict slashed downward frantically, but was blocked and again disarmed. He stared in shock as Jak pointed his Saber at his heart. Jak couldn't bring himself to kill his friend and instead decided to kick him. Through another rock.

Benedict struggled to sit up as Jak approached him. He scurried backwards as Jak came nearer and nearer. Benedict wanted to run away and hide from those eye, but he would not give Jak the satisfaction. Jak looked down at Benedict as he drew closer, his eyes literally a blue fire through the dust rising up from the mess that the two of them had made. He stopped walking and pitied the poor soul that had immersed itself in darkness and hatred in exchange for power. Jak had no doubt that if Benedict lived, and if his power continued to grow at the pace that it had, then he would soon undoubtedly be the stronger of the two. That didn't stop Jak from feeling sorry. The elf in front of him had allowed Gol to twist and distort his sense of reality until he became evil himself. Jak wondered briefly what Gol could have said to Benedict, but then decided it really didn't matter; Benedict knew what Gol was. Jak turned on his red Eco Saber and stared down at the elf that had such a burning agony in his soul. Jak gazed into the dark brown pools of hate and anger that had once held laughter and happiness and saw a wave of yellow pass into the whites just as the brown parts turned dark black. After what seemed like an eternity to the both of them, Jak telekinetically spoke to Benedict.

"You are powerful, but that is your greatest weakness. The flaw of power is arrogance," Jak said as he raised his Saber. Benedict's eyes widened as he responded verbally.

"You hesitate; the flaw of compassion," Jak suddenly noticed Benedict's metal hand was open as if to grab something. He spun around and snatched the flying Saber that had been aimed at his heart and held it and the red one up to Benedict's neck as he crossed them into a scissor fashion. Benedict's eyes widened in fear as he realized Jak was going to kill him. He raised his real hand and a ball of Dark Eco formed. He aimed it at Keira and Jak's eyes widened in fear.

"The instant I see you move, I fire, and she dies Jak." Benedict snarled. Jak looked in horror at the elf that had once protected Keira to the best of his ability now use her life as if it was nothing.

"I hope he falls for my bluff," Benedict thought. "I have no intention of harming Keira. But I have to use her as a threat." Jak backed off and Benedict suddenly launched at ball in Keira's direction. If Jak had taken the time to look, he would have seen that the ball would not have hit Keira, but was in fact aimed at some point to her left. But since he did not see it, he rushed in and took the hit that was meant for her.

Jak groaned as the unbearable pain washed over him. He was dead, he knew it, it felt like every nerve was on fire. White hot knives poke him from every angle, and his brain started to slip into the blissful holds of unconsciousness. He struggled to keep awake, knowing that if he slept, he died, and if he died, so did any hope for Keira's survival. He struggled to his feet but was blasted backwards by a wind blast from Benedict's right arm. He saw his Saber lying on the ground some feet behind Bneedict.

"This is the end for you Jak," Benedict said softly as he held his Saber up high. Jak knew what he was going to do and crawled over to a place where the dust was very loose. As Benedict launched his air blast, Jak rolled backwards and darted out under cover of the dust cloud that had risen up. He ran past Benedict and leapt into the air and rolled into a landing. He grabbed his Eco Saber and waited as he circled his opponent, waiting for Benedict to begin the art of exchanging blows.

As they two elves circled each other, Benedict decided to let Jak come to him. Rather than looking at Jak's body, Benedict stared straight into Jak's eyes, resisting the urge to shudder. Gravis had told him that right before launching an attack, elves and Lurkers both had a instinctive tendency to open their eyes just a bit wider.

And sure enough, that was exactly what happened when Jak eventually lost patience, and lunged at Benedict, who easily brought his dark Saber down to block the attack, and then ducked beneath a kick that the Channeler had aimed at him. Quickly, the Dark Channeler swung his weapon forged by the hands of the Precursors at his nemesis' exposed back, only to find Jak's own Saber coming back to intercept it, forcing his towards the ground. Jak completed his rotation and caused Benedict to spin around. With a battle cry, Benedict continued spinning and attempted to backhand Jak with his metallic forearm, a blow that Jak only just avoided.

The Channeler performed a back flip, and landed a good five feet away from Benedict before bringing his red Eco Saber up to an attack position and glaring at his opponent. Benedict did the same, and for several moments, there was another lull in the fight while the two of them slowly circled one another, each trying to find a weakness, something that could be exploited.

This time, it would be Benedict that struck first, leaping forward and bringing his dark weapon up from below in an attack that would have cut Jak from his left hip to his right shoulder had Jak not parried. Not discouraged in the slightest, Benedict pressed his attacks, slicing to and fro as he attempted to bring his opponent down.

However, Benedict's offense was stolen away when his enemy suddenly knocked the dark Eco Saber up high, before following through with a thrust kick to his chest that cracked a rib and sent him staggering. Unfortunately, as Jak brought his own weapon down in an attempt to split the dark Channeler's head open, Benedict was able to get his foil up in time to deflect the attack. The two blades grated against each other for a few seconds, sending sparks flying as the two adversaries snarled in each others faces as they grinded their weapons into each other even harder, as if hoping theirs would simply cut through the other's. Benedict smiled inwardly as he Channeled a small amount of Dark Eco and let it's healing factor take over.

Abruptly, Benedict broke the blade lock and backed away, balling up his left fist. Jak let out a curse as the Dark Channeler sent a storm of Dark Eco bolts at him as he furiously weaved his own Eco Saber back and forth as he frantically backpedaled in an attempt to get some distance between himself and his foe. Oh how Jak would have loved to have the power to control the direction of Dark Eco blasts like he could with Yellow Eco.

Such were Jak's thoughts as he leapt into the air in order to avoid a charged up blast from the Dark Eco using elf's real arm. And it was also at that time that he decided that he'd need to get up close and take away Benedict's ranged abilities, as he didn't really want to use any Eco unless he lost his weapon.

As he attempted to close the distance, Benedict opened fire once more, and Jak leapt forward and to his left, performing a barrel role type spin while in mid-leap, his red-lighted weapon deflecting a few bolts that came close as his foe adjusted his aim. Jak performed the maneuver yet again, trying to throw Benedict off, before a third such leap placed him back in melee range.

Roaring in fury as he blocked the elf's opening attacks, Benedict put his Saber in his metal hand and swung with all of his enhanced might. Jak saw the amount of power behind the technique and opted to duck below the slash, rather than attempting to block it. However, the wisdom of such an action was revealed an instant later, as the Channeler continued through with his acrobatics, and brought his right foot slamming up into Benedict's face as he pushed off with his left.

Benedict felt stars explode in front of his vision as the kick, driven by Jak's considerable strength, connected. In a blind attempt to buy himself some time, he switched sword hands again and fired wind blasts wildly in the direction of his opponent.

Jak, still in the process of landing from his flip, had no time to react, and bared his teeth in defiance as a couple of the blasts connected and made him go flying back. In an attempt to remove himself from the rather precarious position that he now found himself in, Jak leapt once more, using Blue Eco to stay in the air this time and go up and over Benedict, before coming down in an attempt to get rid of that little annoyance on the bionic arm once and for all.

Unfortunately for the elf, his foe was able to spin out of the way in time, and he once again lashed out with his cybernetic arm. On the bright side of things, Benedict's blow was made hastily, and as a result, was quite maladroit and effortless to avoid. Such a move also put the demented elf in a rather compromising position, something that Jak was swift in taking advantage of. He quickly put his Saber away and grabbed the wrist of his opponent and pulled it so it was across Jak's chest. He then struck a pressure point right below the elbow that caused Benedict's arm to bend. Jak made his left hand into a knife and struck the tricep of Benedict's right arm. While it didn't really hurt, it did give Jak the chance to pivot and drive Benedict into the ground via the use of a relatively easy technique known as the armbar. Jak knelt down, keeping Benedict's arm with the attachment firmly plastered to the ground, and struck Benedict's left hand, causing the dark Channeler to drop his weapon. Jak planted his left knee into Benedict's right shoulder and twisted the arm so that the elbow faced up. Jak smashed his other knee down on the weak point and Benedict screamed in pain and started thrashing around on the floor as the bones in his elbow shattered.

Jak got up off his opponent, believing his finished, and turned around when he heard Benedict roar. Benedict had risen and threw a wild punch, his right arm bent at an angle that it really should not have been in. Even as it glowed purple and straightened itself out, Jak slammed his fist into Benedict's face and blood seeped out. For a second the fighting halted, and dark brown eyes locked with blue ones, one burning with hatred, the other ablaze with a mixture of righteous anger and pity. The owner of the latter pair deftly held his hand up, the red stain upon it revealing the truth for all to see, if there were any around to see it.

First blood went to Jak.

Benedict evidently didn't like that too much, and he once again brought his arm to bear upon the Channeler, firing small blasts not much larger than a golf ball as fast as he could.

Daxter, watched as his best friend expertly deflected the barrage that was sent at him, and then leapt over yet another larger blast. The Ottsel's mouth was dry, and he swallowed in a vain attempt to solve the problem, while he and his friend.

Benedict stuck his hand out and the handle of his Eco Saber flew into the metal appendage and turned on. Benedict once again smirked at Jak, showing that he had a more advanced weapon on his side.

Jak swung for Benedict's head but his attack was blocked. With lightning speed he reversed his blade and came in to the left at his adversary's stomach, planning on disemboweling him, but again was blocked. Benedict backed off an inch and stabbed, but Jak parried away his attack. Jak spun around with the parry and aimed his Saber right at Benedict's head. To his annoyance, he was blocked yet again. He came in up and to the right, yet Benedict proved to be much too quick for Jak. Benedict swiftly parried Jak's attack once more before coming twice: aiming for the left knee and then the right one. Jak was barely able to block, and he was pushed to his knees as Bneedict used brute force to try to unbalance him with an overhead smash.

Benedict kneed Jak in the chest and then kicked him in the face. Jak went sprawling backwards and landed on his back. Benedict slammed his Saber down at Jak's throat but Jak grabbed Benedict's hand. Benedict's Saber got closer and closer to Jak's throat as they vied for control.

Jak suddenly spotted a weakness in Benedict's battle stance; his legs were open. Jak winced as he swung his shin up and grimaced as he heard Benedict's gasp of pain; he knew how much it hurt to be hit there. Benedict went down, clutching himself and received a kick in the head. The two of them laid down and waited for their individual pains to subside. Jak healed himself via his Green Eco Box and Benedict closed his eyes and a dark light covered his body. The Channelers got to their feet and once again engaged each other.

Jak shoved Benedict back and sliced at his waist again. Benedict did a whole front-flip over Jak's head and landed opposite him. Jak swung around to prevent his head from being parted with his shoulders. The two of them leapt back and tried to get a bearing of where to attack next.

"C'mon Jak, you're disappointing me. I guess I should just take Keira and be off," Benedict taunted as he twirled his blade and came in for Jak's shoulder and then his arm. Both attacks were blocked, and the two of them locked blades as they circled each other. Jak glared at Benedict, seeing through his feeble attempt to confuse him by getting him angry. Jak broke free and spun around. Benedict blocked Jak's next three attempts on his life and the two of them locked blades once more. Jak charged up a ball of Yellow Eco and Benedict charged one up using Dark Eco. The two of them fired at the same time and the small orbs of Eco slammed against each other. The two of them pushed harder, trying to make their blast cut through the others'. The two balls of Eco exploded and they both went flying back.

Jak got to his feet and leapt back into the fray as Benedict made mirrored movements. Benedict spun his blade in his hand above his head a few times before swinging it at Jak. The Channeler spun his Saber to block it and spun his body around the evil elf. Benedict spun with Jak, never taking his eyes off his opponent. He blocked a blow that would have severed his head from its shoulders had it connected and they locked blades again. Jak sighed as Benedict attempted to out-muscle him. He spun away and began a furious series of attacks. Benedict waved his sword back and forth furiously as he blocked. Jak kicked Benedict's sword out of his hand and it joined it's other half in the lava. He swung down and Benedict grabbed Jak's hand with his metal one. He squeezed harder and Jak groaned as his wrist snapped. He released the Saber by reflex and Benedict snatched it. He then tossed it into the lava. Jak watched his weapon sink beneath the lava and looked questioningly at Benedict.

"I would rather die then finish you off with your weapon."

"You never know. That might just happen," Jak responded as he cracked his knuckles and neck at the same time. He flipped on his Red and Blue Eco Boxes and began fighting with hand to hand combat with Benedict. He two of them exchanged blows so fast that to the untrained eye it would appear as if they were merely flailing their limbs around in a haphazard way.

The two of them punched at the same time and bent in before pushing off. Jak ran in and performed a spinning back side kick. Benedict caught Jak's foot and twisted. Jak went down and Benedict began twisting Jak's knee. Jak brought his other leg back and planted it into Benedict's chest. The Dark Channeler stumbled back before forming a Dark Eco ball into his real hand. Jak did the same with both of his; it appeared as if this was going to turn from a swordfight into a battle that would rely on Channeling abilities.

Jak made the first move, diving off to his firing, firing small Yellow Eco pellets all the time. Benedict leapt in the opposite direction, moving with speed and agility to rival Jak's. The tormenter came up shooting his own blasts, his projectiles spitting rapid three shot bursts at the powerful elf. The Channeler could feel the heat as the Dark Eco sped by, coming within inches of making contact, and was forced to quickly reconsider his estimation of Benedict's aiming capabilities.

On the other hand, this was not to say that Jak was in any way inferior to his nemesis. The Channeler proved this by activating his Blue Eco Box to enhance his physical abilities. Jak performed a super-elfin leap, completely leaving the Dark Channeler's field of view, and getting off no less than four bursts. The shots hit home and Jak grinned as Benedict keeled over. When Benedict stood back up, there were holes in his shirt, but blood was not seeping out of the wounds. When Benedict ripped the shirt off, Jak understood why: there were no wounds. Benedict had some kind of armor (black, like everything else he was wearing) that protected his vital organs from penetration by Eco Blasts. The older elf retaliated with several bursts of his own once he had lined Jak back up in his sights, and while Jak was able to harness his Blue Eco enhanced agility to dodge most of the projectiles or use his forearm armor to dissipate them altogether, Benedict did succeed in bringing several beams dangerously close to Jak's ears. The Channeler fired as he leapt again, but as it was before, the shots connected, but did nothing to his foe.

Realizing that the armor protected him too well to be damaged by normal shots, the Eco harnessing elf quickly took cover behind a three foot high raised portion of the ground while he waited. The elf waited as he charged up a beam of sufficient power, his ears becoming his eyes. As his muscles tensed, Jak waited for anything that would betray where Benedict was. Then, he heard the slight 'thump' as a boot moved through dirt and dust. In an instant, he had sprang up and unleashed the charged up bolt.

Benedict's eyes widened to roughly the size of Flut-Flut egg as he saw the small yellow meteor come sailing in towards him. The dark Channeler jumped to the side, but due to Jak's ingenuity, still had some of his facial hair scorched off and felt a pain shot along the side of his head as bits of heated stone and metal pelted his face. Still, Benedict counted his blessings when he looked behind him and discovered an eleven-inch crater where the blast had hit.

Benedict growled at Jak. He formed a ball of Dark Eco that was roughly the size of a volleyball and squeezed it down to the size of a baseball. He tossed it at Jak, who easily dodged it. After hearing a small noise, Jak turned around and saw the ball had actually bounced off of the rock behind him and rolled along the ground until it came to a rest right next to the elf.

Now it was Jak's turn to feel his eyes grow wide, and he hurled himself from his cover. Still, the small Eco bomb was about the same as a plasmite grenade, and he had not gotten more than four-and-a-half feet away when it exploded. A scream would have torn its way from Jak's throat had he been able to communicate vocally as when the heat washed over him. Pain that swiftly increased as he went right through a rock and came to rest. Unfortunately, that rest was right near the edge of the lava pit, and the heat swept over his body. His shirt caught on fire, and Jak stood up and began furiously patting himself off, the "Stop, Drop and Roll," technique Samos had shown him long ago forgotten. Finally, he got the fire off, though an acrid smell of burnt elf remained, and the shirt he had worn was now little more than thin ribbons of cloth held together haphazardly.

Willing away the pain and nausea of his wound, the Channeler stood tall as he healed himself. He then stared into the eyes of his foe, his own glowing orbs promising a hundred excruciating retaliations. Benedict coolly summoned another Dark Eco grenade in his hand, smirking at his adversary.

Jak was quick to take advantage of the distraction, putting another huge blast dead on a collision course with his archenemy. Too late, Benedict realized the error of concentrating on past minor victories, and was blown off his feet as the comet connected with his upper body. He skidded for a small ways, finally coming to a stop perilously close to the edge of the ground. He teetered on the edge and nearly fell into the lava. Instantly realizing the danger he was in, Benedict leapt back up to his foe. No sooner had he done this, than a sharp hiss reached his ears, and he looked back to see a Yellow Eco Slash slice through the spot he had occupied a mere moment ago. At the same time, he registered the condition of his armor. Most of the plating had been damaged by the bolt, but thankfully, nothing else had been harmed, or the future could have looked bleak indeed.

Returning his attention to the battle, Benedict fired his grenade and as he expected, Jak dove away and to the right, trying to get far enough away so that he didn't have to risk getting blown off the edge. Finally realizing it would probably take far more to kill his opponent than he had originally expected, the dark Channeler used his artificial hand to fire on the dark elf his wind blasts with reckless abandon, and Jak felt more pain work its way through him. The pain was from a variety of things; either the wind caused bits of metal and dirt and stone to cut him, or the speed of the wind caused air to escape from the fresh cuts. Both were exceptionally painful, but Jak had to give the Most Painful Award to the wind blasts.

Jak fired another large shot again, but this time Benedict was ready, and dropped flat at the last minute. Quickly, Jak ducked behind cover and healing the lacerations covering his body. He leapt onto the rock and sprung away, not wishing to get _another_ Dark Grenade fired at him. What instead met him was another barrage of smaller bolts as the dark Channeler got back to his feet, having taken advantage of the lull in the fighting to also heal the scars on his bulk. Jak's armor was quick to intercept these shots, sending them ricocheting about. This had the humorous effect of causing Benedict to drop back down again as a few whizzed back towards him. If he hadn't been fighting for his life, Jak would have smiled as Benedict leapt in the air and was forced to twirl like a ballerina to keep his limbs attached.

By this time, Benedict was beginning to lose patience due to the sheer stubbornness of his opponent. Opting to overkill, and assuming Jak would not be able to survive by what he was about to do, Benedict quickly summoned yet another Dark Grenade, and fired a wind blast from his Precursor forearm. No sooner did Benedict let the air discharge go than was a Dark Grenade fired, arcing over the small battlefield like a flare. As for Jak, well, he leapt out of the way of the wind beam, only to find that his foe had been examining him vigilantly and had foresaw almost exactly where he was going to land, and that was where the bomb was waiting for him. Jak was quick to fly upwards, but the concussion of the explosion was still sufficient to blow up and made him crash into the ceiling, though it was not enough to dissolve any more of his clothing.

Still, that was small consolation to the blinding pain that lanced through his skull as he impacted against the ceiling with enough force to make a small crack in it. Jak felt his world going black and desperately, he fought a losing battle to stay awake, realizing that to surrender to the pain would mean death by either incineration from the lava or by the hands of the elf that had nearly killed Keira. Twice.

Daxter watched as his best friend plummeted down towards the fiery abyss. He was helpless to do anything helpful as Jak's enemy laughed and turned around. He began to walk towards Keira, anger all over his face. Daxter wanted to run, far away from the elf that was so bent on having Keira. As the panic rose in his heart, a new feeling forged through: courage. His body stopped quivering and he stood as tall as he could. As Benedict approached, he saw the former elf stand boldly in front of Keira and smirked. As Daxter rushed in to bite him, Benedict simply brought his foot back to literally punt the diminutive rodent but never got the chance. Jak rushed in and blasted Benedict with a couple of well placed Yellow Eco Blasts before tackling him to the ground. Benedict roared in rage at Jak not dying and once again taking Keira away from him. He ran at Jak, who simply smiled in a smug fashion and leapt back. Jak continued to back-peddle, leading Benedict to the towers in the distance.

Benedict roared at Jak and lashed out with a vicious roundhouse kick, fury driving it to inflict pain upon the elf that had for so prevented him from having Keira. His rage driving him to speeds Jak was not quite prepared for, Benedict hit Jak with enough force to send him right through the wooden door.

Jak skidded along the smooth floor and did a reverse somersault to land on his feet. Benedict stormed in and threw another wild punch. Jak caught it and blocked to the inside, allowing his to score a few hits on Benedict's ribs. Benedict spun around and elbowed Jak in the face. The two of them charged up their hands with Eco, Benedict using Dark, and Jak using Yellow and Red in one hand each. They threw one punch each and caught the other's hand with their free hand. They began to try to out muscle each other, but seemed perfectly equal in power.

Streams of Eco danced around the room, causing delicate pieces of equipment to explode on contact. Jak's Eco was pushed back and he went flying back, hastily erecting a Green Eco shield to avoid feeling the pain of the Dark Eco as he went through another wall.

Benedict once again stepped through the hole in the wall that Jak's body had made. "Don't make me destroy you, Jak. You're no match for the power of Dark Eco. Accept that and let me leave with Keira, and I will let you live."

"I've heard that before, Benedict… but I never thought I'd hear it from you." Jak responded as he wearily got to his feet. "And I can't let you have Keira. You tried to kill her before-"

"I DID NOT!" Benedict screamed.

"Admit it. You are so insecure about her you don't want to accept the possibility that you have lost her." Jak said mentally. This comment drove Benedict nearly mad with rage and Jak blasted him away with a beam of Yellow Eco as he rushed in. Benedict went back through the hole in the wall and through another one that was smaller. Benedict looked up and saw Jak coming in to fight him. He picked up a container made out of Precursor metal and hurled it at Jak.

Jak jumped over the first one, but was not prepared for the second. The urn hit him in the chest and he went down. As Benedict rushed in, Jak kicked him in the stomach and got to his feet.

Once again, the two Channelers circled each other in their fighting stances and tried to find a weakness in the others defense. As they fought, they worked their way into an entry hallway. Jak kicked Benedict and the latter fell of the walkway on to another one. Jak jumped down and Benedict summoned a Dark Eco Blade. Jak summoned a Yellow Eco Blade to even up the score and their fight moved toward a control center. As Benedict pushed Jak backwards towards the room, their Blades flew around and bits of the hallway fell out of the wall as they got cut up. The two Channelers jumped and used every trick in the Book of Acrobatics as they got to a circular room.

View screens exploded around Benedict and Jak as they worked their way around the control room. The fighting got even more intense as they recalled their Blades and once again charged their hands with Eco. Jak went on the defensive as he jumped up on a table that projected a view screen of the surrounding area in the center of the room.

Benedict forced Jak back as jumps onto the conference table. Suddenly Jak went to his knees and slid across the table, knocking Benedict over. The two of them landed in an elevator that was about five feet in diameter. It began to rise, bringing the two clashing opponents along for the ride. The sparring became furiously fast-paced as the two Channelers gave it their all in their attempt to kill the other, in Benedict's case, or simply incapacitate his opponent, in Jak's situation.

Jak and Benedict each charged up another Eco Bomb and tried to make their cut through the others'. As before, they both exploded simultaneously and launched the two elves back. Jak and Benedict each regained their footing and the battle continued. Jak kicked Benedict away after wrestling for a few minutes. They battled around the top of the tower, and eventually Benedict leapt down to a walkway above the lava.

The balcony in the end came to an finish, and Benedict realized he was trapped. He looked over the balcony and into a river of lava. He sent a curved scythe of Dark Eco at Jak, but missed. It went on, not only cutting a piece of the balcony railing off but a control panel as well. Alarms sounded as a protective light blue light around the superstructure disappeared. As the light left, the heat began to rise. Jak realized Benedict had probably just destroyed something that controlled the temperature control.

Said control panel tumbled into the molten abyss, and disappeared in a puff of smoke. A small pipe connected the tower to the other one. Benedict had no choice but to tightrope-walk out across the lava river while fighting Jak. After about two minutes of this, he decided against it and leapt backwards to the tower that they had not been on yet. As they arrived, a rumbling caused them to cease fighting. The thin tower bent and twisted as the tower slowly started to sink under the lava.

Snapping and metal groans were heard as the main part of the tower broke away and moved toward a lava fall in the distance. Jak looked around and saw a small floating platform. Deciding that it was no use dying by saying on the tower, Jak did a double back-flip and landed squarely on the floating platform. He immediately turned it and aimed it back towards the ground. Benedict realized he would be doomed if he stayed on the tower heading for the falls. In the distance he spotted a platform not unlike Jak's. He made a running leap and miraculously landed on it. As Benedict hastily pursued Jak, the giant tower went over the lava flow and disappeared in a mist of sparks below.

Jak headed for the bank of the lava river, but Benedict's platform seemed to be faster. Benedict caught up with his old friend and the two of them left their controls and (quite foolishly) attempted to continue the fight. Jak saw his old student nearly fall into the lava in an attempt to blast Jak off of his platform.

"I have failed you, Benedict. I was never able to teach you to concentrate under the heat of the moment." Jak thought, and Benedict instantly heard the transmitted thought. The two of them stared at each other as their transports went whizzing over the lava river.

Benedict responded. "Gol was right. The Sages were plotting to conquer…" Jak interrupted; he didn't want Benedict to end that sentence.

"The Dark Lords! Benedict, Gol Akaron is evil." He thought, hoping Benedict might finally see what was happening.

"From your point of view. From my point of view, you and Samos are evil." Benedict countered. Jak saw that his former friend, student, and ally was no more. Samos was right; Benedict was gone, consumed by the evil entity known as Torqueo.

"You are lost!" Jak psychically screamed. Benedict glared at the elf that, in his mind, had gone out of his way to ruin Benedict's life.

"This is the end for you, old friend. I wish it were otherwise."

"Do not call me 'friend'." Jak snapped. "You proved I am not your friend during this battle, when you attempted to take my life many times. And you can never have Keira. I don't have Keira. She is her own, free to choose which man to be with. You could never understand that, consumed by hatred as you are." Jak telepathically thought as he bared his teeth.

They continued to battle away, balancing on their tiny platforms and trying to throw the other off. Benedict lost his footing and pulled Jak along with him. The two of them fell on each other and made attempts to knock each other out as they hastily got to their feet. They continued their battle, unaware that they were on a transport speeding to the land. As it crashed onshore Jak went flying off while Benedict regained his footing.

"It's over, Benedict. I have the high ground." Jak called to his adversary. Benedict merely glared at Jak.

"You underestimate my power!" Benedict proclaimed.

"Don't try it." Jak urged. Benedict ignored his former educationalist and leapt over Jak. As he landed, Jak brought his hand up and slammed them into Benedict's chest. Benedict went flying back and landed on his backside as Jak leapt up and landed on his chest, breaking more than a couple of ribs. Benedict moaned and saw a piece of rock sticking out of the ground. He grabbed it and tried to thrust it through Jak's chest. He grabbed it out of Benedict's hands and thrust it into the base of his left leg. Benedict screamed and pulled it out, succeeding in nothing but severing his leg off and having it roll into the lava. Benedict's mangled body followed it very shortly afterward.

Jak looked on in horror as one of his former best friends started screaming in agony while blood gushed from the wound at his hip. Benedict looked up at Jak from the sand he was in and Jak saw that Benedict was truly gone; the whites of his eyes were yellow and the dark brown had darkened to cold black.

Jak just backed off, staring, transfixed, at Benedict. "I loved you like you were my brother, Benedict." Jak thought.

It appeared that Benedict was still conscious, because his transformed eyes focused on Jak. "I hate you!" Benedict screamed as Jak continued to back away, unable to tear his eyes away from this hideous spectacle. Benedict's clothing blew into the lava river and ignited. Suddenly Benedict burst into flames and starts screaming. Jak looked on in horror as Benedict became engulfed in flames. Jak couldn't watch him as he struggled to climb the embankment, covered in flames. Benedict slid back down closer to the lava and closed his eyes.

"Finally. It is done. Gol's apprentice is no more. Benedict is dead." Jak thought as he picked Keira and Daxter up. Suddenly, a pain went through his heart, and he knew something was wrong. He rushed back to the Warp Gate, anxious to see how Samos had done with his battle against Gol…

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Okay, time to stop. I realize it was a little cliched at the very end, but let's consider that my final shout out to George Lucas. After this chapter, you will not see any more intentional reference or influence from Star Wars. Anyway, if you have any ideas for Dark or Green Eco powers for the big showdown between the Sages, let me know. They are masters, so don't think that your power might be too advanced for them. With luck, it will be as long as this chapter was; about eighty five hundred words. And on a final note: shout outs. READ RISEN DEMON, WAR OF THE ANCIENTS, THE JAK AND DAXTER PRANK WAR, and SURGE! 


	22. Clash of the Titans

Red Mage 04- Yea, I was going for a grossed out/pity factor. You're absolutely correct (as always) they don't learn until it's too late. Unfortunately, in this case, Benedict, or now I have to call him Torqueo, _still_ hasn't learned. I realize Daxter, in _most_ fight scenes, is ignored, and I thought it fair to give the little guy a bit of action. There will be a point where he actually saves the day. Won't tell you where, but I've made only one change to the plot overview I sent you to include Daxter having some glory. Thank you for the compliment ion my fight scenes, though I know they are still nothing to be desired. No offense to your greatness, but people often don't realize how much power Samos has. Because, Gol used Dark Eco and turned evil. Jak used Dark Eco and was good. In my opinion, there are only two possibilities: either Jak had a better defense against the assaults on his mind by the Dark Eco long enough for the Light Eco to balance him out, or Jak has a pure heart and Gol does not. For the sake of this fan fiction, I choose the latter. Sorry about the one sentence, and like I said, you won't be seeing much of Star Wars, unless it subconsciously affects my writing, and if you thought Jak and Benedict were dukin' it out, just wait until you read this. Oh, I sent you an e-mail that was also a review for your chapter, (awesome job by the way) so please let me know if you got it.

animedragongirl- Well, not so much lucky as fortunate no one points out how disgustingly short it was. Well, I'm sure your fight scenes, while shorter, are probably still a lot better than anything I can churn out. Sorry you have to go to church instead of doing what you want, but I have some good news. I'm free. My lawyer came in and got me out of federal prison. Oh geez. I don't think I put in a disclaimer. Help, cops. Typing this as I am dragged off back to the prison. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Amathist Fwirrel- I know what you mean. Who needs therapy. Therapy is for the sane people. Insanity is bliss! Hehe, Soda. Well, Soda and Golious's showdown is this chapter, and I do hope that you approve of it. Thank you for being by my side, everyone else saw the lawyers' contracts and suits and pens and took off running. Yes, Benedict is dead, but Torqueo is not. He is going to be found by someone who you should expect, but saved by one of the last people that you would think. Your quite welcome for the shout out, and I hope someone out there reads the dribble and sees those shout outs and reads your masterpieces. Oh, and because I went back and read Surge again, Ew. Maia and Jak. Ew, just ew. Anyway, hope you enjoy the battle of the Sages.

Disclaimer- Okay, I'm using the prison computer again, and to avoid coming back here, I don't own this fan fiction. This is a disclaimer for both this and the last chapter.

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The Parallel Power War: Clash of the Titans

As Samos and Gol ran at each other, Samos wondered for one final second how it could have come to this. He was fighting Gol Akaron, his former friend. Over the twenty years Gol had become more reclusive, but Samos would never had guessed that he would do things like this. Samos put his mind to rest as he concentrated on the battle in the here and now.

Gol brought his sword up in a horizontal slash, but Samos used a vertical block to stop it. Gol began spinning in the opposite direction and attacked, his cape keeping Samos from seeing the hilt of the Saber. The light, however gave the Saber's position away and Samos once again blocked the incoming assault. Although he blocked the Eco Saber, Samos did not expect Gol to grab out with his fake hand and snatch his staff. Gol twisted it out of Samos' grip and threw it away. Samos brought his sword down and to the left, but was deflected. Gol pushed Samos' sword back and copied his last attack; he came down and to the left. Samos blocked and spun his sword around and came up and to the right, trying to slice off Gol's legs. Gol blocked the attack and brought his sword up behind his head before slamming it down. Samos blocked it and they began pushing against each other, each trying to throw the other off balance.

Samos pushed his blade up, leaving Gol temporarily defenseless, and then delivered a hard kick to Gol's chest. If one was to assume that the technique would not hurt, one would be greatly mistaken. True, the Sage was old, but was in no way feeble. His physical strength was enhanced by his Eco powers, and the wood blocks on the bottom of his feet didn't hurt either. Or at least, they didn't hurt Samos.

Gol went flying back, but landed on his feet, using his levitation powers to ensure that he to regain his footing and his body healing the double fist sized dent in his chest. Samos slowly walked towards Gol and swung his sword in a vertical path going down. Gol blocked this blow, but was caught by surprise when Samos swung his sword in the opposite direction and came up from below Gol's line of view. Gol's eyes widened in surprise and he leaned back to avoid the blow. The tip of Samos' Saber touched his skin, cutting and in a way healing the wound at the same time, but not being as lethal as it could have been had Gol not sensed it coming.

Gol ignored the pain and brought his Saber crashing down on Samos' head as the skin from the minor wound grew back. Or he would have, had Samos not once again blocked the attack. Gol smirked as he turned his blade and came at Samos from below, only to be foiled and blocked again.

Again and again Samos and Gol went back and forth, alternating between assailing and guarding. One Saber seemed to merge and blend with the other; they were both moving so fast that the blades seemed to leave blurs in the air behind them, almost like an afterimage. Once again Samos came up from the ground and was blocked; both of them holding their blades firmly in place as they circled each other. Gol broke his off and did a triple strike, coming first across from the left, then across from the right, then straight down. Samos blocked all three blows with relative ease and then resumed taking the offensive. He swung his blade across, making Gol lean back. Samos was quick to press weight on the blade in an attempt to overbear Gol. Gol leaned back even further and stuck his real hand out. A telekinetic blast shot out, making an invisible yet perceptible shockwave travel through the air. The blast connected with Samos' chin.

Samos went soaring backwards in a graceful arc and floated a few inches above the floor and straightened himself out before landing. He quickly straightened up and stopped Gol's next attack- another downward stroke to the left. Samos jumped about twenty feet away and landed on his feet, bent down with one hand on the ground and the other in front of his face. He rose and charged Gol, swinging his sword in a straight thrust. Gol quickly parried it and the two of them once again danced around each other, damaging and defending, pivoting and parrying in a desperate attempt to win.

Gol swung his sword to the left and then disappeared in a puff of smoke. Samos heard air being cut through behind him and quickly turned around to stop the Saber that was coming for him. After his block, he moved his Eco Saber down and then back up to put Gol off balance. Gol recovered instantaneously and brought his sword above his head and slammed it down, then brought it back and repeated the motion. Samos continued blocking and eventually managed to turn the tables by attacking Gol in the same way. Gol blocked the attack he had been using repeatedly until he had to take a step back. This one movement would prove to be his downfall, because the old Sage was quick to strike again and again, sending his blade crashing down over and over. Gol tried one last attack: a downward chop with all of his considerable strength behind it. Samos blocked and put both his hands on his hilt. He pushed back as hard as he could and forced Gol to fall over. Gol continued trying to defend himself as Samos' sword crashed against his continuously, but eventually Samos prevailed. He brought his sword across rather than down, and made Gol's sword arm swing wildly out and then he brought his sword down for one final attack.

Gol smiled in triumph as the power of Samos' bright green Eco Saber was halted by the strange metal of the gauntlet attached to his right elbow. Gol stood up and stared at Samos. The two of them circled each other, each one's eyes burning with an internal fire. As the Dark Lord swung his sword down, Samos came up to block it. Gol altered his course slightly so that Samos was forced to bring up his Saber in time to prevent himself from getting an unscheduled haircut.

Samos blocked a jumping slash from Gol and swung his sword so fast in retaliation that it appeared little more then a scythe, but the Lord of the Lurkers still managed to dodge it. Samos spun around as the Dark Lord did a front-flip over his body. As he landed, the twisted Sage stuck his arm out and Samos dodged to the right to avoid another telekinetic blast. Samos turned to keep Gol in his sights as the Dark Sage monster charged Samos once again. Samos evaded, sidestepped and deflected all of the oncoming attacks.

Samos finally caught a break struck aggressively at his opponent, his Saber coming in from the right on level with the Dark Lord's throat. Gol's Saber flew up to intercept his strike and swatted it away. Deciding to go with that momentum, the Sage spun around; copying a move he had seen Jak do many times in his sparring and training sessions. With speed that one would not expect from him being so aged, Samos completed his rotation, coming in with a relatively low angle of attack, intending to slice his adversary's feet out from underneath him. Unfortunately, his sword connected with little more than air, as Gol jumped straight up and levitated for a few seconds.

Samos waited patiently as the Dark Sage landed before rushing back to try his hand at the offensive.

Gol roared at a volume that Daxter would have been jealous of in frustration as a downward chop that would have split Samos in half (had it connected) was intercepted. Samos forced his nemesis' Saber down and away to the left, before floating into the air and bringing his right foot up and smashing it into Gol's face. The Dark Lord staggered backwards, his nose broken, blood tainted slightly purple dripping down his face. As Samos rushed in to take advantage of this, he went into a flurry of attacks, his blade no more than a blur as it hacked, struck, and thrust.

Gol growled in frustration as Samos' combos nearly shattered his defenses. He found himself desperately blocking and evading, unable to get a strategy going beyond trying to keep himself alive. At last, Gol caught a break and he turned the tables by striking out at the old ands wise Sage. Now it was Samos that was desperately blocking Gol's furious attack, trying to avoid getting a hit scored upon him.

But eventually Gol made a hit, his sword slipping through the Sage's raised blade to draw a line of blood from its left side all the way up to his right collar bone as Samos tried to leap back to avoid the stroke. Still, even as he hissed in pain, Samos considered himself lucky; the damage was not nearly as bad as it could have been had the blow hit home completely.

Growling, Samos leaped at his opponent, bringing his Eco Saber down from above with all his strength. Gol called upon a technique Jak had been subjected to during his battle with Kazan. Gol gripped his sword with two hands, his real one on the end of the grip, the fake gauntlet upon the end of the Saber itself, and held it horizontally, and succeeded in not only blocking the Sage's strike, but threw him back into the air, where Samos came in for a rather impromptu landing nearly ten feet away.

Immediately, Samos rolled backwards, and flew back up to his feet, and was scarcely able to avoid being skewered, as Gol had thrown his Saber in the ground where he had been mere moments before. As Samos got up, Gol stuck out his real hand and his Saber flew to him by means of telekinesis. There was a downside to this move; the split second distraction Gol experienced as he caught his Eco Saber enabled Samos to get behind him. Realizing the severity of the situation too late to correct it, the vile elf felt its feet be knocked out from underneath him by the use of a mental blast.

As the Dark Lord began a trip to the ground, Samos slammed his tree bark shoe into Gol's back hard. The blow succeeded in driving the breath from Gol's lungs. His breathing situation did not improve at all when he hit the stone floor, nor did what follow help at all either. Samos stepped on Gol's chest and caved it in once more. As Samos prepared to kill Gol, the Dark Sage dropped his Saber and threw out both his hands. Samos flew up to the ceiling and formed a shield around himself as he went through the ceiling and landed on the floor in another room. Gol levitated through the hole in the wall, smugly grinning.

"As you see, my Channeling abilities are far beyond yours. Back down." Samos groaned as he defiantly got to his feet. Gol sighed before launching a stream of Dark Lightning. Samos raised his green Eco Saber and the Dark Lightning was absorbed into it. Samos decided rather than letting Gol know he could deflect it if he wanted, he would pretend he couldn't. Either Gol would think Samos was weak to begin with, or that he was weakening due to the forty-five minute or so battle. Gol glared and ran forward. Samos sent a psychic blast that Gol spun to avoid before reaching him Not until he was within a foot of Samos and starting his swing did the old Sage opponent move.

Gol swung right for Samos' head but his attack was blocked. Gol swung his arms behind his back and tossed the Saber between them. With lightning speed he came in to the left at Gravis' midriff, but again was blocked.

Samos backed off an inch and stabbed, but his attack was parried away by his adversary. He spun around and aimed his Saber right at Gravis' head. To his annoyance, he was blocked yet again. He came in up and to the right, yet Gol proved to be just as fast as him. He swiftly parried an incoming blow to his chest from his heart's side before coming twice: low and in opposite directions. Gol was barely able to block Samos' ferocious assault, and he was pushed to his knees as Samos used brute force to try to unbalance him. Samos pushed down harder on Gol, trying to either drive the evil Channeler to his knees or slice his head in half, and not really caring which one happened.

Gol shoved Samos back and sliced at his waist again. Samos did something one would have thought impossible given his age; a whole back-flip over Gol's head and landing opposite him. Gol swung around to prevent his ears from being parted with the rest of his head.

The two of them leapt back and tried to get a bearing of where to attack next.

"Master Hagia, you disappoint me; I saw you as a worthy opponent and here I am in danger of falling asleep. Surely you can do better than this feeble attempt?" Gol taunted as he twirled his blade and came in for Samos' shoulder and then his arm. Both attacks were blocked, and the two of them locked blades as they circled each other. Gol broke free and spun around. Samos blocked Gol' next three attempts on his life and they locked blades once more. Samos charged up a ball of Green Eco. He slammed it into Gol's body and it sent him flying back into a wall. Samos smiled with satisfaction as he heard a cracking sound he was fairly certain was caused by a few ribs breaking. Gol got to his feet and his body glowed with an un-light; a darkness that no light could penetrate. Dark Eco swept over his body and healed to weaknesses and injuries his frail body had been dealt.

Gol walked over to Samos, summoning his Eco Saber as he did so. "Now, now Master Hagia, if you are going to use your Channeling abilities, then rest assured," he said as his eyes flashed in the darkness, "that I will use mine." He ended this pronouncement with a blast of Dark Lightning. Samos hastily erected a barrier to ward it off. Just as the Dark Lightning got to Samos' shield, it branched out everywhere and attacked from ever angle. It eventually blasted through and the shield broke. Samos clenched his jaw, determined not to scream with the pain as nearly one and a half thousand volts of electricity entered his body, determined not to give Gol that sick pleasure. As it was, all he did was thrash around in mid-air until Gol stopped his attack. Samos collapsed on the floor, his body sweating and shaking. As Samos healed his body, he still felt the unbelievable quantities of pain it had just been put through. Gol raised his hand as Samos struggled to get to his feet and blew him back down with a clairvoyant blast. Samos fell backwards and Gol walked up to him. He raised his Eco Saber and prepared to strike down the old Sage.

"Now, it ends," he hissed as his blade came down. Samos had his eyes closed and a bubble formed around his body. He disappeared with a pop, leaving only a slash in the ground from the Eco Saber as a mark of where he had been an instant before.

"Come now Darth Akaron. Did you really think you could defeat me so easily? I am a Sage after all. Although of course you know things about Dark Eco I don't. I had been hoping to learn something from you, but you have not met my expectations."

"Then perhaps you will allow me another chance to advance your edification of my powers." Gol snarled. He spun his blade in his hand above his head a few times before swinging it at Samos. The Sage spun his Saber to block it and spun his body around the Dark Eco Sage. Gol spun with Samos, their eyes never leaving each other. Samos blocked a blow that would have severed his head from its shoulders had it connected and they locked blades again. Gol snarled as the each Sage attempted to out-muscle the other. Gol began getting frustrated with his opponent and his body produced the powerful adrenaline as his thoughts turned dark and angry.

Unfortunately, Gol's rage would eventually prove to be his downfall. He let out a roar as he once again sliced wildly at Samos. Samos blocked his attack and appeared to work very hard to stop Gol's next onslaught. Samos finally caught a break and sent Gol flying into the wall hard enough to leave another silhouette of his body behind with a single psychic blast.

After healing his body once again, Gol jumped right back in, attempting to catch Samos off guard by attacking after such a short amount of time after being dealt such a crushing blow. He failed and began resumed the duel with the old Sage.

Gol continued to drive forward as he came in from below and to the right, causing Samos to backpedal. Samos blocked the incoming strike with relative ease before ducking under a swipe that would have shortened him by a good foot or so. Gol stabbed and Samos parried the incoming blow, sending both their Sabers around in tow full circles before they broke apart. Gol stopped for only the instant he needed to get his Saber under control before coming in once more. Samos spun around and blocked another strike from Gol before realizing he would have to get the offensive back soon. The two exchanged blows with lightning speed as they tried to defeat one another.

Samos swung his head back to dodge yet another strike before arching his body back so that he did not get a gash in it. The old Sage parried another strike before spreading his arms out in a deliberate "come and get me, I'm right here," statement in an attempt to infuriate the Dark Lord.

It worked… to say the least.

Gol came in screaming as he called upon every trick and technique he had in the book to try and just kill this infuriating old man. Samos caught an incoming stab and got in close with his opponent. The two of them bared their teeth and snarled at each other as they circled on the spot, each one grabbing and being grabbed at the same time.

Finally they broke apart and Samos shoved Gol back. The two of them raised their Sabers over their heads before restarting the duel. As they fought, they rotated on the spot so that they switched positions. Gol hissed at Samos as they eyed each other briefly before going at it again.

Samos struck forward, causing Gol to back-flip onto an object sticking out of the floor before side jumping off. As he looked back, Gol was glad that he had, as there were three slashed that were still glowing, indicating that they hadn't cooled off yet. Gol stepped forward and his foot slipped. Samos saw the mistake and tried to make it the one that would end the duel but alas, it was not meant to be. Gol simply got down on his knees and leaned back. Even so, Samos' Saber came within an inch of his nose as it swept across where his chest had been only seconds before.

The two of them exchanged even more blows before Samos managed to punch Gol in the face. The Dark Lord stepped back and blinked furiously as he tried to clear his eyes from the tears that formed when his nose broke.

Samos unleashed a furious assault on Darth Akaron, causing the twisted elf to back up. Still Samos pressed on, his legendary determination and power causing Gol to have to open doors as he continued to back up. The two of them made their way into another room ,this one filled with large pieces of Precursor metal. Samos grabbed Gol's wrist that was holding the light saber and with a deceptive amount of strength snapped it. The Saber dropped to the floor with a clatter. Samos kicked it into the darkness with one sweep of his left foot as he pointed his green Eco Saber at the Dark Lord.

Gol snarled at Samos and launched another Dark Eco Lightning blast at the Sage. Samos changed the angle on his Saber and the lightning rebounded upon Gol. Although Gol had not fired a strong blast, it was enough to paralyze him. As Gol's body froze, Samos pointed his Saber down at Gol once again.

"I will destroy you, just as Jak will destroy your apprentice." Gol growled at Samos and vanished in a puff of smoke. Samos quickly constructed a shield as he waited for Gol to play his next move. A flash at the top of a piece of Precursor metal sticking out of the wall made Samos look up. Gol was standing on a circular hunk of metal and had both his hands raised. Samos flew into the air and started making his way over to the Dark Lord. Gol reached out with one hand, and a pod was released from its mooring and heads toward the Sage. Gol used his telekinetic abilities to hurl pod after pod at Samos, who ducked and jumped from one flying pod to another.

As Samos jumped to another pod, he looked up and saw a pod that was too close to dodge. Samos stuck his hand out and the pod stopped in midair. He concentrated and threw it back at Gol. Gol leapt away from the piece of metal he was in and landed in another one. He looked around for Samos.

Said Sage came flying out of the darkness and turned on his Eco Saber. Gol hastily blasted Dark Lightning at Samos. Samos tried to deflect it with his sword but the force proved to be too much and it was blasted out of his grip. Samos reeled back slightly before the force of Gol's power. Samos stuck his hands out and the Dark Lightning gathered into a small ball. The two of them screwed up their faces in concentration as they attempted to get closer. Samos closed his eyes under the strain and Gol pressed forward, believing the advantage to be his. Samos opened his eyes and Gol saw them burning. For the first time in a few years, fear clutched at Gol's heart as Samos extended his hands and the two of them got within an inch of each other.

Suddenly the force of the bolts dissipating almost as soon as they were created caused a backlash effect. Samos and Gol were both hurled out of the pod in opposite directions. Samos dropped his Saber as he went flying back but managed not to hit the ground by levitating. As he looked over at Gol, he saw that the Dark Sage was also practically unharmed.

Samos saw a metallic object by his foot and recognized it as Gol's Saber. As he glanced at Gol, he saw that the Dark Sage had landed where his Eco Saber had landed. Samos could also tell that Gol had spotted it. The parallel Sages locked eyes locked eyes before a mutual understanding passed between them. Samos shot a telekinetic blast at Gol's Eco Saber and crushed it just as Gol caused Samos' to explode by injecting it with Dark Lightning.

The two Sages charged each other, ready to call upon the vast range of Channeling abilities they had at their disposal to win the fight. Samos dodged to the right to avoid Gol's punch. Normally, Samos would not have worried about a single punch. What did worry him was how Gol had wrapped Dark Eco around his real hand to not only enhance the damage inflicted, but would also make whatever hit Samos damage him by coming in contact with Dark Eco. Samos stuck one of his hands out and his staff, almost forgotten, flew back to him. Samos used his other hand to throw Gol back. As Gol started to slow down, Samos pointed his staff at the Dark Sage, who received another telekinetic blast.

Gol smacked against the wall of the room. _Hard_. Samos rushed in, his desire to end this conflict growing with every blow he and Gol exchanged. But while the breath might have been driven from Gol's lungs, not to mention a few ribs being damaged from the impact, Gol still maintained enough focus to notice the Green Eco Sage coming at him to finish him off.

A well placed pair of Dark Grenades, followed by a thunderstorm of Dark Lightning succeeded in driving Samos off and keeping him at bay until the dark Sage could sufficiently recover from the powerful attacks.

As Gol summoned a Dark Blade and flew towards his foe once again. Gol realized Samos would prove to be a much more powerful opponent than he had originally intended and began to use both his sword and Channeling abilities simultaneously. Samos Channeled Green Eco into his staff, giving it both resilience to Gol's Blade and the power to send the dark elf flying away with a simple touch.

Several minutes, and a few pain filled roars later, Gol quickly realized that his current strategy was not working against Samos, and knew that he was going to have to find a new one.

And so he took to the air flying around the room for a few seconds before unleashing his Channeling abilities upon his foe. This particular ability was to form two balls of Dark Eco and throw them in opposite directions. Samos watched the path of one and dodged it as it came in, but the other one hit him in the back. As he healed the burn marks on his back, Gol launched another Dark Grenade at Samos.

The Sage leapt up out of the way of the first blast, answering the attack with a Green Eco Bomb of his own. Gol barrel-rolled out of the way of the attack, and it impacted harmlessly upon one of the walls, though there was a decent dent left where it had landed.

Not pausing for an instant, Gol recalled his Eco Blade and charged up his ever familiar Dark Lightning, letting it crackle over his fists for a few seconds before he willed it to streak towards his foe. The outspread web of electricity would have hit Samos, if he hadn't teleported out of the way. As Samos reappeared, he began to charge up a technique, but Gol attacked him before the Green Sage could launch.

Gol snarled, and charged up an attack in both of his fists, before unleashing the Dark Eco Beam technique upon Samos. This time, the dark elf didn't move, and there was a bright flash, followed by a thundering explosion as the attack struck, stealing everyone's vision for a short moment.

The light cleared, and for a quick moment, Gol let a malicious smile come to his face, until he saw Samos standing tall, a green bubble protecting him.

Samos flew up to Gol and went on the offensive again, lashing out with energy balls and his staff, throwing everything he had at his foe, knowing full well what the price of failure would be. Gol would build the robot, open the Silos and celebrate the return of the Dark Times. Life would wither and die, and Jak, Keira, Wartstal, Hatu, and countless others, including Daxter, would be killed. Gol weaved back and forth, returning the favor whenever he could, determined to finish off this wretch, and the room was soon filled with craters and the like as testament to their nearly epic confrontation.

Gol let out a cry of fury, and unleashed some Dark Lightning at Samos. The blast hit Samos full force, and he went right through the wall. As Samos got to his feet, Gol fired a Dark Grenade at him and with a deceptive amount of agility, the Sage dove out of the way. The blast continued onward, and punched yet another hole in the wall. Samos got to his feet and tried to alter his strategy to start winning again.

However, as another dark bomb hit home upon him, he was also beginning to realize that he was going to need to alter his strategy yet again. Gol was good, a true Sage. Not only was he powerful in his own right, but his cunning and strategy made him a difficult adversary.

Samos charged up a massive amount of Green Eco, and then sent the assault straight at Gol. The Dark Sage, unprepared for such a powerful attack, got caught by it right in the chest and went through the roof of the chamber. As he landed on the top of the Citadel, he figured it would be easier to win out here, so the destruction of that portion of his and Maia's Citadel was a small price to pay for final victory.

Samos looked up as a deafening roar sounded as his ray of energy impacted upon the ceiling, and ripped the top right off of the room. There were a few small bits of debris that fell downward, but most of it had been vaporized by the explosion.

Once the smoke was clear, so to speak, Samos looked up, saw Gol hovering up in the air, waiting for him and knew that his job was not quite done.

The two Sages rushed towards each other, each one desiring the other's blood. Gol summoned a Dark Blade as the distance closed, and time seemed almost to slow as they drew ever closer, ever nearer to the third phase of this conflict.

And then time sped up again once they were in striking distance.

Gol, brought his metal fist in with all the strength he had at his disposal, kicking up a small wind with the force behind them. Samos, however, expertly dodged the blow with twist followed by a duck. As he came up, Samos rushed forward so that he was right underneath the Dark Lord. He struck out with his staff, and was rewarded with a pain filled grunt from his opponent as he slipped it in Gol's chest and sent him flying backward. Gol hissed at Samos as his body healed again. He noticed that it was taking longer and longer every time he was hit to heal the damage and if the battle kept up much longer, he would not be able to heal an longer. Samos on the other hand, ha d a near limitless supply of Green Eco, giving him the power to heal practically anything.

The demon dodged to the right, rolling out of the way as Samos threw his staff at Gol in a boomerang fashion. Snarling in frustration, Gol Akaron stood up. Unfortunately for him that all he managed to do while standing up was present Samos with another chance to strike at him.

A thundering roar split the air as the Sage teleported behind Gol and thrust his staff into Gol's back. Gol screeched in pain as his twisted his arm behind his back in order to get the double-pronged staff of wood out of his back. Samos stuck his hand out and the staff flew out. Samos watched as Dark Eco covered the hole in Gol's back and healed the wound. He now had nothing to show there except for a small scar the size of Samos' pinky nail.

Samos watched as Gol spun around. A tentacle of Dark Eco extended from his arm and hit Samos, even though he was well over ten feet away. Gol continued to pound the Sage furiously, knowing that the wounds would heal quickly. Samos sped back towards Gol as the Dark Lord missed one swipe.

However, as he closed the distance between them, Gol decided that now was a good time to show off yet another trick that he had hidden up his sleeve. He thrust his hands outwards, and focused his powers. This time, though, rather than the twin beams of energy coming forth, Samos instead found himself having to deal with a barrage of baseball-sized energy pellets coming towards him at a rather high rate of speed.

Frantically, the Sage dodged to the right, and Gol turned with him, trying to lead him as he unleashed dozens of Dark Eco bursts a second at him. Samos took to the air, using his powers of levitation to avoid most of the blasts. One or two did hit, and wound up leaving some rather nasty looking burn marks as testimony to their capabilities. Even so, the Sage bit back a growl as he felt his Sagely blood get to work healing him, and retaliated by swinging his staff hard enough to make Gol dodge to the left, leaving a four inch deep crater in the Precursor metal floor.

Samos then waved his staff a few times, sending waves of Green Eco streaking towards Gol. Although the evil elf dodged most of them, some connected on several places, causing the Dark Lord to snarl in a slight amount of pain. Despite the weariness of his body, Gol did not lose his focus upon the battle, and was soon flying up to the Sage, bringing them both back into melee range.

Although Samos had his staff, in close combat range, the metal arm attached to Gol was better suited. And even though Samos was rather quick in the air, he didn't always get off free of charge. More than a couple of times Gol did succeed in landing a blow, which usually sent the Sage into a tailspin of sorts, though he always managed to pull himself out of them before Gol could capitalize upon the sudden advantage and use certain Dark Eco powers Samos was in no way anxious to be hit by again.

The two separated again after some minutes of exchanging blows, and another lull in the fighting took place, with both combatants simply moving about in a circle, each one formulating their next move as they floated back down to the earth.

Gol figured it was about time that he played one of the aces that he had up his sleeve. Samos was confused when Gol rushed into the air and Lurker Wasps appeared from seemingly nowhere. Samos waited patiently while the Wasps rushed in. Three feet long, three inch talon connected to six legs, they resembled gigantic Wumpbees more than anything else. Samos quickly sat down as they closed in and chanted a spell. When he opened his eyes, the Wasps had all halted in midair and turned around. The Lurker Wasps charged their master, who frowned. Gol focused all his energies, concentrating his power into another attack.

Samos' grim smile changed to a look of utter disbelief as he saw nearly a hundred of the Lurkers speed towards the Dark Sage, only to die screaming as a Dark Lightning storm of mythical proportions suddenly erupted around Gol. The Wasps rained down, covering Samos and Gol alike with their black blood. Gol opened his eyes and ceased the attack that had turned him into a proverbial bug zapper.

Gol snarled at Samos' audacity. "How dare he turn my own allies against me?" Gol thought as he rushed down, Dark Eco crackling in his hand. Several Eco spheres were unleashed between both sides before the gap was closed, though neither was able to do anything more than superficial damage to the other.

As they reentered melee range, Gol once again summoned his Dark Eco Blade, ready to unleash it upon his adversary. The Sage and the Dark Lord met with a thunderous din, Samos brought his staff in from the side, a move that Gol block with his metal forearm and then attempted to retaliate against, lashing out with the other limb, the tentacle of liquid Dark Eco lashing out and causing Samos to skid back.

Samos breathed heavily as he tried to discern how much of his power he had used. Sage or no, he needed to rest soon to replenish his powers. Such were Gol's thoughts as well as both combatants were basically sent back to square one, watching the other, seeking some sort of flaw that could be exploited for their gain.

About three seconds passed before they were at each other's throats yet again, Gol blasting himself forward, willing himself to move as fast as he possibly could as he angled his Blade straight for where Samos' heart was located. However, it was not destined to be the deathblow of the fight, as the Green Sage's own razor fast movements with his staff forced him to take a detour, or suffer from some rather painful consequences. Instead, the Dark Eco harnessing elf opted for a different attack, twirling as he dodged to the right in midair and diving underneath the offensive assault that Samos threw at him.

The Sage brought both his staff back after missing and slammed it down. The scream that followed no doubt caused some dead Lurkers littering the top of the Citadel area to sleep a little less peacefully.

But then, one could hardly blame Gol for this outburst. Samos thought that he handled it pretty well for a guy who had just had his head cracked open. Indeed, Gol became a true Dark Lord again; rather than dissolving in tears, he simply went mad with rage as his eyes glowed red and the yellow parts that had once been white became black.

With a roar that could be heard throughout the entire Citadel, Gol stood up to face Samos, who quickly realized just how much he had angered his foe. Realizing that attempting to engage Gol while he was in this "Kill on Sight" mode would not be the wisest of ideas, the Sage selected evasive action. He took to the sky as Gol threw blasts out at random, his head healing the massive crack in it.

Gol calmed himself down as the pain vanished, but his eyes remained the same. He flew up to Samos much faster than he had moved so far. As they dueled in the air for a couple of minutes, Samos realized just how battered and tired his body was getting. He threw a Green Eco spear at Gol's face. Gol pulled his metal arm up at the last possible moment, taking the attack there instead. The blast, which had proven itself capable of blasting through more than dozen Lurkers in previous confrontations, did manage to make contact with the carapace, but it pretty much ran out of steam after that. The Dark Lord, now enraged even more than he had been previously, charged up an attack of his own, before letting it fly. The Sage flew down out of the way, and twisted to his right side as a pair of Dark Eco rays blew by him, singing his hair and part of the log that he kept in it.

Samos charged in at Gol while he was still recovering from his last attack. However, as he rushed back in, hoping to end the battle there and then, Gol retained enough sense of reality to retaliate. He spun around and back fisted Samos. The Sage hardly expected this and the blow square in his chest. Bone cracked, and an inch deep indentation was left where Gol's metal fist made contact.

Samos hit the ground, hard, and lost his grip upon his staff while he began to bounce and roll over the floor, the parts where he had blasted Gol through ripping through his clothes to tear into his skin and flesh away to the bone in some places.

After several seconds, he came to a stop, and the Sage, once so powerful, lay still.

Gol saw his opponent lying unconscious, but far from pacifying him, it enraged him even further and caused his power to skyrocket. How dare his adversary die just as he wanted to torture him. "Come on," he whispered, "get up, get up!"

Whether through some peculiarity of nature that allowed Samos to hear his adversary and wanted to spite him, or he simply proved to be more tenacious than the pain that was coming from his many wounds, Gol never knew, nor did he ever find out. Nonetheless, regardless of which reason was the cause, the Sage slowly and gingerly got back up to his feet as his wounds healed, although they did so much slower than they had been so far.

As the lacerations closed and muscle and skin interweaved themselves back together, the Green Eco Sage extended his left arm and his staff shot towards him, heeding the call of its wielder.

Once his old and now weak fingers had clasped around the wood once more, Samos roared with such strength and fury that Gol knew fear for a minute.

"GOL! I may beaten and battered, but believe me, this fight and I are both far from finished!" Samos roared so loud that Maia heard from the base of the Citadel where she had been overseeing the Lurkers put the Robot together and sped up to join her brother.

"Brother, should I help you kill this abomination?" Maia asked as she arrived.

"No. I want you to only watch as I finish Master Hagia off." Gol replied.

The Sage then shot down through the air, and shot like a bolt of lightning towards his opponent, who had by now fully recovered, and was standing up, albeit leaning heavily on his staff.

They were at each other's throats again within seconds.

Their battle was as terrible as ever as it raged on, carrying both up into the sky once more after a time. However, before they had been at it for too much longer, Samos had knocked Gol back down to the ground. The Dark Sage raised himself up onto his hands and knees as he healed the internal bruises and hemorrhaging that he had sustained once more.

Both Sages had come to the conclusion that their bodies could not take many more trick, and this fight would have to become one of cunning rather than power.

Thus, it was with the intention of dicing the Green Sage up when Gol rushed back towards Samos, a battle cry coming from his jaw as he tried to intimidate the old Sage. Samos did not wait for Gol to get to him, rather, he flew up and away before dive bombing the Dark Lord. Gol unleashed Channeled Dark Eco attacks until he got close enough, and then began striking with his metal arm upon entering melee range.

Samos brought his staff up and swung it through the air, causing a slash of Green Eco to come blasting out of it, which the Dark Sage blocked with his forearm. As it had been in the case of the spear Samos had used, the attack did do damage to Gol's carapace, but after that, not much else.

The Dark Lord came back with more attacks of his own, throwing out another pair of Channeled beams before rushing back into a more personal kind of combat. He reached back to his sides and lashed out with both of his hands at the same time, his hands curled un into fists. A quick upwards flip was all that saved Samos from being killed.

However, Gol made the mistake of overextending himself in his attack, and it took him an instant longer to recover than usual.

That one second would a gigantic mistake that Samos would use to his full advantage. Even though Samos believed he would defeat Gol, he knew he would lose against Maia unless he found some way to recharge his power. He put that thought aside as he slammed his staff forward. There was a raucous silence for a moment, followed swiftly by a bellow of agony.

Samos wasn't surprised.

After all, such a reaction was to be expected now that Gol had just had one of his eye sockets punched in. Gol roared and dropped to the ground. Apparently that roar was a signal, because another few scores of Lurker Wasps rose up and charged the Sage from every angle.

Gol looked up in hatred at the elf that had caused him such agony as his eye healed. Suddenly he realized the gravity of the error he had just made.

But it was too late.

Samos roared as a hundred beams of Green Eco shout out of the Lurkers and infused them within his body. As another wave of Lurkers dropped, Samos calmly descended to the weakened Dark Sage, his body glowing a faint green light.

Maia, however, was not going to allow Samos to kill her brother and decided to intervene. She sent a beam of Dark Eco and Gol got to his feet as the power swept through him and basically recharged his failing energy reserves.

Maia, her job done, fainted as almost all of her body's Eco had been drained in that one attack.

The two Sages faced each other and charged up what they mutually understood would be the final attack. The very air seemed to vibrate as each of the two Sages unleashed an enormous beam of Dark and Green Eco. The beams collided in the middle and they began vying to win the struggle. The two beams pushed back and forth, gaining and losing a little.

Gol began to groan as they reached the two minute point. He widened his hands and a stream of Dark Eco Lightning broke off of the main beam. Samos hastily erected a shield, but eventually Gol won and the Sage was blown off the top of the Citadel. He landed a hundred feet below on a ledge and was knocked out as his head hit first. Gol slowly lowered to the Sage and saw that, even unconscious, the Sage's body healed itself.

Gol's eyes returned to normal as he reached behind his back and drew a small device out. He placed it on Samos' back and the Sage woke up. He stood and grabbed his staff before facing Gol. His normally green eyes were now purple as he bowed before Gol, who began laughing hysterically. A Wasp came up to Gol at his whistle.

"Wok mo jajkoh udt fcuso xoh ad kxo hosxuhwadw heed. Den!" (Get my sister and place her in the recharging room. Now!) Gol snapped.

"Ooj mo Lord. Hawxk unuo." (Yes, my Lord. Right away.) The Wasp responded.

"Samos, you will come with me."

"Yes… Master," Samos responded, no trace of emotion in his voice.

"I sense that Darth Torqueo is in danger," Gol said as he teleported the two of them away…

* * *

A mechanical hand clutched at the rocky soil as the owner struggled to pull himself up, his eyes burning yellow and black with hatred.

Torqueo used every ounce of willpower he had to not pass out from the pain as he struggled to pull his maimed and deformed body up the hill. He had lost all feeling in his right foot due to the lava and his left arm was cut up from the sharp rocks. The only working limb he had wasn't even flesh; he was using his metal one. He groaned with every movement he made, his body screaming in agony.

Torqueo looked up as a loud whip-like crack split the air. He saw Gol Akaron looking around and he moaned in agony. Gol looked down and saw his mangled apprentice.

"Torqueo! Torqueo!" Gol called before catching sight of him. "There he is. He's still alive." he gasped as he levitated the body. The three of them vanished once more...

* * *

Torqueo screamed in pain as Samos Channeled massive amounts of Green Eco over the burned and charred skin that was associated with _very_ bad third-degree burns. Eventually, it looked normal again, but his entire body now looked like a map, so scarred it was.

"Will he survive?" Gol asked anxiously.

"Yes Master," Samos responded as he set to work on attaching aleg made out of ordinary metal, as well as replace an eye that had been too damaged to heal with a Precursor one. After what seemed like hours, Torqueo opened his eyes and felt his scarred face. All his hair had been singed off, and his eye was now permanently yellow and black.

"Where is Keira? Is she safe, is she all right?" Torqueo asked, looking around through his real and fake eye.

"I am afraid that she tried to go to you when you were damaged, but Jak held her back and vanished before I could stop him." Gol responded.

"That bastard! I swear, when I get my hands on him I'll rip him apart." Torqueo roared as he stood up and let his power rage out of control.

* * *

"Jak, I don't want you to go." Keira said. "I'm scared." Jak turned around as he stepped away from the Warp Gate and smiled softly. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. The two of them held each other close as Jak put his face down to her shoulder. Keira tried to hold back sobs as she buried her face in his chest.

The two elves held each other close, each regarding the other as their only firm rock in their lives that had been turned upside down. They took comfort in the fact that they were still entitled to a small amount of sanity in a world that was spinning out of control...

* * *

Okay, here it is. I hope that it was up to standard (meaning little more then crap). Please, I know the romance at the end was _beyond_ sappy, so don't yell at me for that. Yell at me for the horrible fight scene. Also, I do have a request. Grateful though I am for all of your positive feedback, I would like it if you guys and girls (nodding to animedragongirl) would give me some criticism or an evaluation of how the plot is holding together. Anyway, until next time, when Jak traverses the dreaded Red Eco Temple, I'll see you guys around. 


	23. Burning Challenges and Burning Hatred

Red Mage 04- Yes, Samos is in deep trouble. He is now a pawn, and therefore, basically evil. Mwahahahahaha. Ok, I have no clue what cortosis is and I'm fairly certain the knowledge will both shock, horrify, and traumatize me. Lay it on! Glad you received my e-mail and I hope that some of those powers I thought up (even though they are all really bad) can be of some help to you. Hehe, shoes. Yea, I figured Samos should have more powers that are offensive at his disposal. After all, log nog is a Sage, so he should have a complete understanding of Green Eco. You are not the king of sappy romance. I am. You are the king, however, of a great many things, the list of which would be longer than your chapters. I really hope that the Star Wars influence isn't too bad, because I had fun basically plagiarizing it, but now I don't want to have its awesomeness in my story. It would shock people. What happens next? Oh not too much. Jak goes through the Temple, gets medieval on some ass, gets _his_ ass kicked a few times, Torqueo is trained in the ways of death and Keira gets all sad before unveiling her new invention.

animedragongirl- I'm just glad you reviewed. I was afraid that I had chased you away with my writing and typing skills. Or lack thereof. Glad my plot is holding up, and I hope you enjoyed the fight scene. This chapter is what you requested, the Red Eco Temple. I am happy to say that this one will be much better than the last. Which really isn't saying much. I hope you can update soon: I need a good laugh that I can only get from reading a chapter of The Jak And Daxter Prank War.

Burning Challenges and Burning Hatred

* * *

"Jak, please le me come with you," Keira whispered to Jak as the two of them stood by the Warp Gate. Jak shook his head no as he pulled Keira's body even closer to him: there was no way he was going to allow Keira to go back. Benedict had nearly killed her last time twice: who knew what that guy would do if he saw them together again?

"But Jak, I need to go! You guys wrecked the transporters you were supposed to take during your fight, and now the only way to cross the Lava Tube is by Zoomer. And I did notice a Trans-Pad as I was arguing with Benedict, so I can bring it there and power up the heat shield with the seventy five Power Cells we have." Jak shook his head again and pointed to himself, saying with his actions that he would not let Keira go back there and that he would do it himself. "Jak…" Keira said with a small pout. Jak's eyes widened, Keira was about to say something that would _make_ him let her go, she always did when she got that look in her eye or spoke in that voice, that voice with its mysterious undercurrent of "I'm going to win this fight."

"I'm the only one that knows how to use the heat shield and I'm not gonna tell you," Keira said with a grin. Jak sighed, defeated, and glowered at her in a playful way.

He sat down on the bed, emotionally drained from the days trials. First there had been nearly losing Keira, something unbearable in its own right. Then there was the argument with Benedict that had followed, not to mention the fight. Then that slime had the audacity to try to use Keira as a shield. Jak shuddered as he thought back to that moment…

* * *

Benedict struggled to sit up as Jak approached him. He scurried backwards as Jak came nearer and nearer. Benedict wanted to run away and hide from those eye, but he would not give Jak the satisfaction. Jak looked down at Benedict as he drew closer, his eyes literally a blue fire through the dust rising up from the mess that the two of them had made. He stopped walking and pitied the poor soul that had immersed itself in darkness and hatred in exchange for power. Jak had no doubt that if Benedict lived, and if his power continued to grow at the pace that it had, then he would soon undoubtedly be the stronger of the two. That didn't stop Jak from feeling sorry. The elf in front of him had allowed Gol to twist and distort his sense of reality until he became evil himself. Jak wondered briefly what Gol could have said to Benedict, but then decided it really didn't matter; Benedict knew what Gol was. Jak turned on his red Eco Saber and stared down at the elf that had such a burning agony in his soul. Jak gazed into the dark brown pools of hate and anger that had once held laughter and happiness and saw a wave of yellow pass into the whites just as the brown parts turned dark black. After what seemed like an eternity to the both of them, Jak telekinetically spoke to Benedict.

"You are powerful, but that is your greatest weakness. The flaw of power is arrogance," Jak said as he raised his Saber. Benedict's eyes widened as he responded verbally.

"You hesitate; the flaw of compassion," Jak suddenly noticed Benedict's metal hand was open as if to grab something. He spun around and snatched the flying Saber that had been aimed at his heart and held it and the red one up to Benedict's neck as he crossed them into a scissor fashion. Benedict's eyes widened in fear as he realized Jak was going to kill him. He raised his real hand and a ball of Dark Eco formed. He aimed it at Keira and Jak's eyes widened in fear.

"The instant I see you move, I fire, and she dies Jak." Benedict snarled. Jak looked in horror at the elf that had once protected Keira to the best of his ability now use her life as if it was nothing.

Jak backed off and Benedict's eyes narrowed in malicious delight as he suddenly launched at ball in Keira's direction. Jak threw down both his and Benedict's Eco Sabers and rushed in, selflessly taking the hit that was meant for her…

* * *

Jak still was in shock over that. Benedict had been _happy_ that he had found a way to stop Jak, and he didn't even care that the way to stop Jak was in the form of the elf that he had at some point in his life loved.

Said elf walked over to Jak now, watching him close his eyes and screw up his face in a pained expression. "Jak…" Keira whispered again but this time in a comforting manner. Jak turned his head away, Keira was going to tell him that he hadn't had a choice.

"Well I did!" Jak thought to himself. "I could have just knocked him out, I didn't have to go and cut the poor guy's leg off." Jak's body began shaking as images of Benedict after defeat flooded his mind…

* * *

Benedict went flying back from the impact of Jak's blow and landed on his backside as Jak leapt up and landed on his chest, breaking more than a couple of ribs. Benedict moaned and saw a piece of rock sticking out of the ground. He grabbed it and tried to thrust the club-like weapon through Jak's chest. Jak grabbed it out of Benedict's hands and thrust it into the base of his left leg. Benedict screamed and pulled it out, succeeding in nothing but severing his leg off and having it roll into the lava. Benedict's mangled body followed it very shortly afterward.

Jak looked on in horror as one of his former best friends started screaming in agony while blood gushed from the wound at his hip. Benedict looked up at Jak from the sand he was in and Jak saw that Benedict was truly gone; the whites of his eyes were yellow and the dark brown had darkened to cold black.

Jak just backed off, staring, transfixed, at Benedict. "I loved you like you were my brother, Benedict." Jak thought.

It appeared that Benedict was still conscious, because his transformed eyes focused on Jak. "I hate you!" Benedict screamed as Jak continued to back away, unable to tear his eyes away from this hideous spectacle. Benedict's clothing blew into the lava river and ignited. Suddenly Benedict burst into flames and starts screaming. Jak looked on in horror as Benedict became engulfed in flames. Jak couldn't watch him as he struggled to climb the embankment, covered in flames. Benedict slid back down closer to the lava and closed his eyes…

* * *

Jak shook his head frantically to clear it of Benedict's last moment: his hair gone, his skin charred and cut open everywhere, and his eyes evil.

Keira became concerned as Jak turned away from her. "We have to go back there eventually Jak." Jak nodded, she was right. But he didn't want her to see what had happened to Benedict. She was spared thinking about him because she had no idea what he had looked like.

Jak's body began shaking as he tried to hold back the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes. He blinked them back as he tried to compose himself. He hadn't cried when he had fallen into that Wumpbee nest when he was only nine, even if his skin had looked like Braille writing afterwards. He hadn't cried two years later when that wild Croca-dog had bitten him. He hadn't cried when that Lurker Bear had attacked Daxter and Keira while they were on the beach last year. And he wouldn't cry now.

Almost as though she could read his thoughts, Keira scooted closer to Jak and pulled his head around so that it was resting in her shoulder. "It's okay to cry, Jak," Keira whispered into his ear.

That one comment would prove to be that straw that broke the camel's emotional back.

Jak cried into Keira's shoulder, no longer feeling guilty or embarrassed as sobs wracked through his body. Keira's eye moistened and she, too, cried. The two of them wept shamelessly, for all the blood that had been spilt, for all the lives that had been lost, and most of all, for the loss of the innocence of a boy.

After what felt like an eternity, Jak composed himself enough to stop crying. It had felt like painfully ripping a splinter out; the worst was over, and now the healing could begin. As tears continued to stream down Keira's face, Jak pushed himself off her shoulder and reversed the roles. Keira wrapped her arms around Jak's shoulders and linked them behind his back and Jak smiled softly. He began to rub Keira's back. True, it was a little rough and awkward at first, but eventually his inexperienced patting gave way to a gentle rub.

Keira smiled as she felt Jak caress her back and her tears began to ebb. She sighed as she leaned more of her weight on his until she was practically sitting in his lap. She scooted around in his lap so that she was sitting side-saddle style on him. As they released each other, they locked gazes. Jak lost himself in Keira's emerald eyes as she was transfixed by his turquoise orbs. He pulled her back closer into him as he stared up at her. His eyes darted down for a spilt second to look at her mouth before flying back up to her eyes. He mentally gulped as a mischievous twinkle sparked in Keira's eyes. She leaned forward , her mouth moving closer to his. Jak's brain fogged as her arms once again snaked around back and he did the same to her. Their chests touched at the same time their foreheads did. Keira leaned in even further until their noses touched. Both of them took a deep breath, excited and terrified at the same time, as their mouths got so close that they could feel the breath from the other's nose on their moist lips.

An earth shaking crash suddenly rocked the house as a massive explosion sounded outside. Jak was launched forward, hitting his forehead on her chin as they fell off the bed. Jak spun around in the air so that his body took the brunt of the fall. He scrambled to his feet after Keira got up off him and the two of them went outside.

A mushroom cloud was rising in the distance and they took off to see what was going on. After winding through the maze of streets for a few minutes, Jak simply picked Keira up and flew into the air. They landed in a street square and saw a quartet of Lurker Trolls terrorizing the village. A building had been knocked down, hence the previous explosion and mushroom cloud.

Jak lunged forward and prepared to engage the Trolls. Even without his weapons, it was going to be difficult: Lurker Trolls were known for being incredibly tough to bring down. Their puke green skin, though it was organic, was not only harder than elfin metal, but the Trolls could also morph their hands into various weapons and shields. Jak pushed Keira behind a building to hide her before he ran in and tried to take the Trolls by surprise. They spotted him and roared. Even though his element of surprise was no longer available, Jak continued to run in. As they got about fifteen feet apart and man suddenly appeared in the middle as if from nowhere. Whoever the man was, his face was not turned toward Jak, and he had his left hand on his katana. Jak looked this person up and down. Although he was not very big, there was a palpable sense of authority and power that radiated from this man.

The mysterious figure drew his weapon and leapt towards the Trolls. One of them punched straight down and the figure dodged to the outside and stuck his sword right through the Troll's arm. He leapt up and his blade carved through the skin and bone of the Trolls with ease. As he neared the shoulder, one simple flick caused the katana simply to go right through the joint, and with a bloodcurdling shriek, the arm hit the ground. The man stood with one foot on each of the Troll's shoulders as the beast clutched at the hole where an arm had been about thirty seconds before. The man flipped his blade around so he was holding it knife style and plunging it straight down through the top of the Troll's head.

The troll slumped over, dead, and another one charged it. It didn't get more than two steps before the man flung his sword at it and cut its head right off. Although it was now dead, the man was now without a weapon. Which is what Jak thought until he saw the katana swerve in the air so that it came back to the man that had throw it like a boomerang.

The two remaining Trolls bellowed as they charged at the same time. What the man did next completely astounded Jak and Keira, who had come out of hiding to make sure Jak was alright. Needless to say, she was surprised to see him just standing there. She was even more shocked to see another person fighting Lurkers, Trolls no less.

The man's blade retained the reddish-orange color of Precursor metal, but it had transformed from a katana into a falchion. The blade had grown from two to six feet in length and two to eight inches in width. The figure leapt up and split one of the Trolls in half- from the head to the hips. Jak's eyes widened as the last Troll transformed his hand into a massive seven foot long sword. The man tightened his grip on his blade again and it at once seemed to melt into another form. This time it became a two pronged sword; two blades coming out of the hilt with a break in the middle. As the Troll swung his sword straight down, the man caught it in his blade. Jak was mildly surprised when the sword didn't simply break in two. But then something the man did changed that. He split his arms apart and his sword simply became two new ones.

Jak's eyes widened as the man simply sliced the head off the Troll. He then put his blades together, remade the two-pronged sword and finally put it back to being a katana. He turned around and Jak instantly recognized the face of his master, Sett. As he opened his mouth to talk, Sett looked away as another explosion sounded. He pulled out his sword and threw it again, decapitating a couple of Scouts that began streaming in with other various Lurker types.

"Jak, get out of here. Samos told me about the Temple. You have to get there. And take the girl with you." Jak began to shake his head, not wanting to leave his teacher here alone to battle all these Lurkers. As he threw his transformed falchion at another incoming score, Sett called to him again. "Jak, that's an order." Jak frowned for a second before nodding and taking off with Keira. He landed in the hut and looked for Daxter.

"Hey buddy, where ya been?" Daxter asked as he was grabbed by Jak and sent through a Warp Gate. "What was that about? We've been here. And where's Keira?" Jak sighed before realizing Daxter was right- Keira was nowhere in sight. As he prepared to jump back through the Warp Gate to look for her, she came bounding out.

"Sorry about that Jak. I needed to transfer the Zoomer here." Jak nodded in understanding, but Daxter just scratched his head.

"What are you guys talkin' about?" Jak just sighed and Keira explained as they walked down the tunnel to the Lava Tube. The first thing Jak noticed was Benedict's corpse was gone. As he went over and examined it, he noticed that it didn't slide into the lava. Jak felt trepidation as he realized that there was now a very good possibility that Benedict was still alive.

He went back to Keira, who was fiddling with the Zoomer. Daxter was grinning as he stared at her bent over form and Jak looked at him questioningly. He looked at Keira's figure, but didn't see anything that would make him stare. He shook his head as Daxter simply said he was too young. Keira straightened up and turned around, a grin plastered on her face.

"Ha ha! Alright! With these additional Power Cells I should be able to supply the heat shield with enough power to stand up to this lava! But the shield still has a limit. It will now withstand temperatures up to eight hundred degrees, but no more, so keep an eye on your gauge. I don't want to think about what those temperatures would do to your Zoomer if the shield gives out." she finished quietly.

Daxter agreed. "Yeah, the heat… WHAT? The Zoomer? Hey! What about us? Couldn't we look for a safer route to the Red Eco Temple?"

"Look, this is the _only_ way there. And there are bound to be cooling vents, so you can use them to keep the temperature down. We're counting on you Jak!" Keira said as she gave him a hug. Jak hugged her back before he mounted the Zoomer, and with one last look at her, he took off.

Jak went in pretty much a straight line down the Lava Tube,. Which thankfully wasn't riddled with side passages. After a while, Jak noticed that it seemed to be much cooler, because the magma was forming into solid rock. He checked the temperature map and saw that although it was one thousand degrees Fahrenheit, there was a nice cooling vent coming up. As Jak flew through it, he watched with almost boyish joy as his heat shield gauge went down. After driving for a bit, the path became eve more solid and began to rise up, making a narrow passageway. Jak struggled to keep the Zoomer on top of the rock, because at the bottom of either side was flowing lava, and Jak had no doubt that his heat shield would not last forever if he fell.

As Jak dodged massive sandstone columns, he wondered why the Precursors couldn't just scan him to see if he was evil. It would be great if he just placed his eye or something in a scanner and the Oracle said, "Okay, you're not evil, here ya go." Wishful thinking, Jak thought as he rotated the Zoomer sideways as the ceiling got lower.

When Jak had to bunch up his shoulders, he started to get worried that there might have been a cave in, and the Temple might not be accessible. Fortunately, this was not the case. The passage suddenly widened into a huge chamber. There was an odd machine in the middle that looked like a large column with branches sticking out. Each of the four sections had two glowing orbs on them. Jak backed his Zoomer away and fired one of his Yellow Eco charges at a ball. It exploded, and a ball on the side of a wall lit up. Figuring that the only way to continue would be to detonate all of the balls, that was exactly what Jak did.

As the wall opened, Jak shot through. Luckily, there was a cooling vent that practically reset his heat shield, for which he was grateful; it had been getting in the red zone. As if the Precursors had just felt like giving him a hard time, Jak spotted a red sphere encased in a black outline covered in spikes. He dodged, ducked, and weaved through the spheres, certain that contact with one of them would mean a horribly painful death. As the last of them were cleared, Jak spotted an end in the path approaching and he gunned the motor. As he shot off, Jak landed his Zoomer neatly on a road that seemed to be made out of Precursor metal. The roads intertwined and locked, and some of them emptied into a pool of lava. After he was done with them, Jak started to hope that the end was near. He was starting to feel the strain of having to drive at eighty miles an hour and still have lightning quick reflexes. And his wish was granted. At last, at long last, the Temple entrance loomed into view and Jak shot for it.

Jak got off the Zoomer, breathing heavily. Although it was partly due to the excitement and exhilaration of the high velocity tunnel he had just gone through, it was mostly from the heat. He hadn't really noticed because of the heat shield, but this place was hot. Jak got off the parked Zoomer, sweat dripping down his face. He and Daxter panted as they walked up top the massive doors that signaled that this was indeed the entrance to the Red Eco Temple. There were two holes in the doors and Jak stuck his hands into each of them. He Channeled Red Eco in and pulled them open. He was surprised; they opened with relative ease. Jak entered the Temple at the invitation of the deep voice that Jak by now recognized as the one belonging to the Oracle. As the doors slammed shut, he felt a mixture of trepidation and animation. On the one hand, this was the last of these Precursor be damned Temples and he was sure to gain a lot of experienced and power in here. On the other hand, he was sure to have a number of experiences where he would be lucky to escape with his life.

As Jak entered the Temple, he saw that it was near the Lava Tube for a reason: there were lava flows everywhere. He walked up the stairs in front of him, and received quite a shock when flames suddenly gushed out of the side of a wall. He ducked down, feeling his hair. It seemed that some of it had been burned right off. He looked over at Daxter, whose eyes were wide and who looked like he was ripe for a heart attack.

Three statues that looked very similar to the ones from the Yellow Eco Temple were waiting for Jak as he got to the top. Instead of Yellow Eco, these shot a beam of Red Eco. Jak reflected all of the beams back so they hit the caster, and the heads of the statues exploded. Jak entered another room, this one with a pit of lava separating his side of the room from the other. Jak smirked and simply flew across the lava, landed on the other side of the room, and opened the door. Jak entered the next room and climbed onto the middle platform. As three blobs oozed out of the ground, Jak was taken aback. The balls suddenly burst into flames and lunged at him. Jak ducked to avoid the second one and performed a handstand to dodge the second. The third one got him right in the chest and burned a hole through the shirt. Jak dropped to his knees as he felt his skin; it was blistered and oozing a strange pus. He quickly Channeled Green Eco into it and was relieved when the flow of pus stopped and the wound closed up.

Jak stood up and let the two remaining balls of goop attack. He ducked at the last second and they collided. Rather than cancel each other out or explode, they simply became one really big pile of grayish goop. Jak fired a beam of Yellow Eco at it and killed it. He looked around and saw two torches. Figuring that they were like the ones from the Yellow E co Temple, Jak shot two small balls of Yellow Eco at them and they burst into flames. A hidden door opened. Unfortunately, it opened up right underneath Jak's feet.

As soon as Jak landed he summoned a small ball of Yellow Eco to light up the room. What he saw made him nearly faint with fear: the entire place was covered in bats. The walls, the ceiling, everywhere he looked was covered in those flying rats. Jak quickly expanded his ball of Eco into a Blade and summoned another from nothing as the bats charged. Jak hacked and slashed in every direction, frantically trying to avoid them touching him. After the three hundredth bat or so (he had honestly lost count), Jak put his Blades away and took out some of the food that Keira had given him. After eating one of the sandwiches and drinking a container of iced juice, Jak felt much better. After some complaining from Daxter, Jak pulled out a second sandwich and cut it in half. As Daxter munched away, Jak tried to figure out where to go next. As far as he could tell, he was in a giant empty room.

Jak spotted a suit of armor decorating a wall. He went to investigate; he was fairly certain that the armor hadn't been there a few seconds ago. Suddenly the armor sprang to life and began attacking him. Jak calmly deflected the blows and shot a blast of Yellow Eco right at it. The Eco easily melted away the majority of the armor, and the rest of it went limp when the main body was destroyed. Jak looked around for a way out, but didn't see any new openings.

"Jak, why don't you just blow a frikkin hole in the wall already?" Jak shrugged; he had serious doubts that doing something like that would actually work in a temple designed and built by the Precursors themselves. To make his friend happy, Jak shot a ball of Yellow Eco at a wall and was amazed to see it punch through the entire wall. He crawled through it and saw a pillar of flame in the center. Out of it rose a small black ball that suddenly sprouted a body of flame. Jak dodged and weaved through the attacks that the body sent at him and sent a beam of Yellow Eco right through the black ball. It was apparently the life force of the flame, because with the death of the ball, the entire body of fire dissipated.

After Jak prodded the ball with his foot to make sure it was dead, Jak headed in the door and went off on the right side. Suddenly a piece of the floor he was standing on rose into the air. It led him to a shaded wall that looked quite like the one Jak had punched a hole through before. Jak didn't want to waste any more Yellow Eco incase he needed it later, so he chose to instead Channel Red Eco and punch through the wall. The entire side of the room gave way under the force of the blow that Jak had throw, and a new room came into view.

As Jak stepped into the room he heard numerous shrieks coming from nowhere in particular. His mind simply refused to believe what it saw as sections of the floor itself rose up out of the ground. They sprouted small gleaming bits of metal on every side and flew at Jak. Jak summoned a ball of Yellow Eco in each hand and punched the floor tiles as they rose up and charged him. Eventually one broke through and made a gash on his arm. Jak summoned two more balls of Eco onto his feet and rose into the air. His limbs flashed and flailed as he tried desperately to defend himself while ignoring the stabbing pains in his arm. Finally, when all of the tiles of the room were gone, Jak lowered himself back down to the ground. Now that he could get a clear look at his surroundings, Jak saw a single torch. He shot a ball of Yellow Eco at it and it ignited.

A hole opened up in the floor and Jak slid down a long tunnel. As the next room approached, a wall of fire lit up the end, cutting Jak off. Jak thought quickly and summoned two very small Eco Blades, keeping them to only about the size of daggers. He flipped them around so they were being held knife style and dug them into the metal he was on. Fortunately, the metal was that of the Precursor type, and eventually he came to a stop before his feet were singed off.

As Jak let out a sigh of relief, the section of the slide he was on gave in and he plummeted down. He looked down to see a pit of boiling lava waiting for him. Jak flipped on his Blue Eco Box, but he realized with a jolt that he was no out. He helplessly fell as the lava got closer and closer…

* * *

"I don't know what to do Hatu…" Keira sighed as her shoulders drooped. Hatu frowned; it wasn't like Keira to be depressed, she was usually very chipper.

"Keira, you have to tell Jak," Hatu urged: it wasn't healthy for her to bottle her emotions up like that. She let out a faint smile.

"No, not that. I just feel so useless!" She burst out, unable to contain it any longer.

"Keira, you-" Hatu tried to make her feel better, but she cut him off.

"And Jak is doing all the work and having all the fun." Hatu smirked at her definition of the word 'fun'. "And I'm stuck here doing absolutely nothing. I haven't helped him at all! All I've done is cause trouble with him and Benedict."

"Keira, he-"

"And now Jak is out there risking his life while I'm here doing noth-"

"That's enough Keira!" Wartstal said, a little sharply. He had heard her and had let her get some of her emotions out in the open, but she was going to far. "You _have_ been a great help. You made the Zoomer, all of it's modifications, and those Eco Boxes. And if you want an idea for a new invention, you could…" Wartstal began whispering in her ear. Hatu smirked as his sensitive hearing picked up every word Wartstal said. His eyes widened at the ingenuity of his brother. He almost laughed at the way Keira's eyes lit up as he went on.

"Oh Wartstal, you're a genius!" Keira exclaimed as she pulled the Regenerator into a bone-crushing hug. She took off towards her room and closed the door. Hatu enjoyed a hearty laugh at the sight of his brother's face. For all his posture, Hatu was sure Wartstal was blushing under all that fur.

* * *

Jak Channeled Red Eco into his hand and dug them into the rock surrounding him. He winced as his fingertips got a severe beating but tried to ignore it. He came to a stop inches above the lava and felt heat go by his feet as a lava bubble burst. He quickly climbed up the wall and heaved himself up onto a new platform. He looked back at the lava before shuddering and starting down a new path.

Jak saw a deep glow and sped up, hoping that he was reaching the end of the Temple. A small part of him knew he wasn't (no Temple was this short) but he was still disappointed when he saw a new room. He leapt across a new lava pool onto a pillar. As it started to crumble, Jak jumped onto the other platform where a door was and went in. Fire began shooting out of holes in the wall and the floor and Jak had to leap and twirl to avoid becoming barbequed. As he reached the other side of the room he simply kicked through the door and stumbled into the next room.

As Jak stepped forward a wall of flame shot up, blocking off his path. Jak started to panic but regained enough sense not to allow this minor setback to keep him from completing the Temple. He simply went in another direction and walked forward until another fire wall cut him off. It took about five minutes, but Jak finally made it through the room. It wouldn't have taken him so long of he hadn't had to contend with both statues that had spun around while shooting fireballs and bats made of flame that he had had to shoot down.

Jak saw a blue block in front of the door and finally all of the frustration he had been through in the Temple showed. Instead of just pushing it out of his way, Jak picked it up and hurled it across the room where it slammed into a wall. Two small dragons crawled out of holes in the wall and skulked toward Jak. He summoned two Eco Blades and disposed of them fairly easily. The problem came when more arrived and he h\began having to dodge not only fire breath, but also claw attacks from the ones that got too close. Eventually Jak realized that they would overpower him and stuck his two Blades into the floor. He spun around rapidly, causing his Blades to cut a hole in the floor. The dragons followed, eager for a new meal of deep fried elf. Jak shot a Yellow Eco Grenade into the hole and saw a river of blood and body parts begin to flow out of the hole. He turned and ran down a tunnel as more came. As they entered the tunnel, Jak pressed his body against a wall and held his breath as they all went by him. When the last one had past, Jak caved the ceiling in and turned around. He went down the other side of the subway and arrived at yet another door. He took a deep breath before opening it, but he needn't have worried; a wonderful sight met his eyes: The Oracle of Red Eco

Jak arrived at the next to last room of the Temple for what he sincerely wished would be the last time. As usual, the Oracle lit up and the entire room seemed to glow, this time with a red light.

"Greetings, brave warrior. Once again, you have survived tests and trials the likes of which a majority of your kind have never seen before, and once again, your bravery shall be rewarded. Step into the light, and receive a new power." Jak obediently stepped into the light and felt the familiar stinging feeling as a beam shot out of the eyes of the Oracle.

"Well done hero. As a remedy to your desire, I shall give you the advice you seek. Seek the pure light, for within its blaze, the answers reside." Jak nodded before he and Daxter bowed to the Oracle. "Take care warrior, the one that resides in the next room is powerful indeed. You will need every ounce of power you can muster to overcome him." Jak nodded once more and took the Power Cells from the Oracle. As it powered down, Jak was thrust though the door by an unknown force.

As he stood up, Jak saw that he was no longer the Temple, per se. He was now in the very heart of the volcano. He stepped forward and suddenly a humongous monster rose up from the lava. Jak's jaw dropped as he saw how big it was. It looked to be about fifty feet tall, every inch of it covered in an armor that was probably at least half a foot thick.

Jak rolled to the side as the monstrosity curled up into a ball and rolled right for him. It turned around and let out a mighty roar, and an idea suddenly occurred to Jak. Despite Daxter's warnings and the horrible breath, Jak jumped into the monster's jaw and began firing Yellow Eco Grenades everywhere. He quickly realized that although he was causing the beast great pain, he was very likely to be killed if he stayed inside much longer. A glow from one area of the mouth caught Jak's attention. He realized what it was about a second before it hit him and he hastily erected a shield.

One might have thought the beast had coughed up a green glowy hairball, but in reality, Jak was launched from the monster's mouth as it sent a torrent of flames out. Although he was dripping with spit and slime, Jak was relatively pleased with himself as he watched the beats keel over. His smile vanished when he saw it get back up. It roared in fury this time and simply began blowing fire everywhere in an attempt to kill the Channeler. Jak leapt out of the way as it rolled towards him once more. As he fired another beam of Yellow Eco, Jak realized that he had just used up the last of his Eco. He was nervous now; how in the name of all that was holy was he supposed to kill this thing without Eco? Suddenly a deep voice resonated throughout the chamber.

"Warrior, now is the time. I grant you your power back." Four beams of Eco shot out of the ground and hit their respective Boxes. Jak grinned at his friend; he might be able to win this fight if he played his cards correctly. Jak summoned a Eco Blade and ran at the beast. As he reached it, he jumped straight up and landed on its face. He summoned another Blade and welded them together to create the giant one. He slammed it straight into the monster's eye and it let out a horrible shriek as it died. Jak watched as it stop breathing and he put his Blade away. Suddenly a scratching sound caught his attention. He turned around and watched the body of the beast roll towards the lava and sink in. It let out one last shriek before the chamber went silent. Suddenly, something happened that rendered Daxter speechless for a split second. After he got his voice back, Daxter said something along the lines of what Jak had been thinking.

"Oh what the fu-" Jak flew away as the giant serpent that had risen out of the lava let out a shriek and cut Daxter off. "-is this?" was apparently the end of what Daxter had been going to say, and Jak agreed with him wholeheartedly agreed as his new opponent unraveled its body.

Jak stared at his new foe. A giant dragon was flying in the air, its body at least a hundred feet long. Its body was covered in scales of a bright red color. It had no legs, but two powerful triple-jointed forearms easily three times the size of Jak's body were about fifteen feet below its head. Its wingspan easily encompassed thirty feet. Its eyes were a bright yellow, but very small. It's two mouths, a smaller one above the main mouth, had about forty teeth each. Three horns on each side of its head stuck out straight to the side, then diagonally, then straight up. A bright blue jewel was centered in the forehead above the eyes. As the monster caught sight of Jak it let out another roar. Jak stood tall and summoned two Blades, each about four feet long instead of the traditional two and a half feet. He flipped on his Blue Eco Box so he would have free reign of his motion. He leapt up and the two of them rushed towards each other.

The dragon brought its taloned fists in with all the strength it had at its disposal. Though Jak dodged it by diving straight under it, he was blown about slightly by a small wind that erupted from the force behind the blow. Jak struck out with both of his Blades, and was rewarded with a pain filled shriek from his opponent as he slipped them in between the armored sections of the dragon into the soft fleshy under part of the arm.

The Channeler dodged to the right, barrel rolling out of the way as the enormous beast tried simply to swallow him whole. Snarling out of frustration that it had missed, the dragon turned around, trying to get the elf back into his sight. Too bad for the dragon that all it accomplished was to give Jak another chance to strike him.

Jak slipped past the dragon's point of view and once again sliced his swords through the skin of the monstrous being. He noticed with some satisfaction that this mythic dragon did not have healing powers. An easy way to tell this was by striking and seeing that the flesh did not close back up. The dragon then did something that Jak had thought impossible, it began rotating in the air. As he struggled to keep himself on the dragon, Jak simply stuck both his Blades in, causing another fresh roar and even more intense bucking. Jak was thrown off and the dragon hit him with its considerably long vertebrae.

Jak's body slammed into the ground and sank into the rock, leaving behind a lovely imprint of his body. He quickly summoned his Blades again and took off once more towards his airborne foe. The dragon roared and blew a massive blast of fire at the elf. Jak hastily banked to the right in an attempt to keep his skin brunt free. Although he dodged the fire itself, the heat from it was enough to singe the material of his left pant leg three inches or so above his knee. He winced and retaliated by whipping his two Eco Blades back and forth a few times, sending waves of Yellow Eco streaking towards the beast. They connected on several places, causing the dragon to snarl in a slight amount of pain, but it did not lose his focus upon the battle, and was soon coming back at the Channeler, bringing them both back into melee range, where it took the prize for strength, while Jak settled for speed.

However, however speedy the adolescent might have been, he did not always get off free, as a couple of times the dragon got a blow in, which usually sent Jak flying back out of range.

Jak growled in frustration; he was running out of Green Eco, and this thing seemed invincible. Granted, he had hurt it. A lot. But it seemed to be going just as strong as before. After some minutes of exchanging blows, they split apart and simply moved about in a circle, each one formulating their next move.

As they reentered melee range, Jak once again brought both falchions in from the sides, a move that the dragon blocked with the scales of a single forearm as it attempted to retaliate against Jak by lashing out with the other limb.

Jak, however, simply turned his Eco Box off and allowed gravity to take hold of him. This not only successfully put him out of range of the attack, but also let him score a minor hit upon the arm as it passed over it. He then turned off his Yellow Eco Box and flipped on his Red one. He landed on he head of the dragon above the mouth and began hammering away at the teeth, successfully dislodging four of them. The dragon snarled and opened the second mouth and shot out a blast of flames. It did this with such a speed that Jak was taken by surprise, and he foolishly decided to hold his hands out.

Jak was thrown back by the sheer force of the breath, but was amazed when he felt no burning at all. He opened his eyes and saw that he had two balls of flames, one in each hand. He looked in astonishment as he realized that the red fire was in fact a type of Red Eco. He Formed the two balls together and stuck his arms out. A massive blast of fire, even larger than the one the dragon had spewed out. Said beast was astonished as the puny elf slammed it back into the rock. It snarled and shot out two blasts of flames, one from each mouth. Jak dodged them as he headed back down to the ground. He stuck out his hands again and as the flames touched his hands it became normal Red Eco again. He then refilled his Box to maximum and then gathered the rest into a flame ball. He realized that to let it go now would succeed in only the dragon dodging it, so he flew up to meet it.

A pump of the dragon's wings propelled it out of harms way as Jak launched a fire blast, and put him a position to strike at the Channeler from the side. Jak dodged and launched a flurry of attacks that drove the dragon away before it could truly capitalize upon the uncompromising position Jak had placed himself in. About three seconds passed before they were at each other's throats yet again. Jak blasted forward, willing himself to move as fast as he possibly could, and angled himself straight for where he thought the dragon's heart was most likely located. However, it was not destined to be the deathblow of the fight, as the dragon's own razor fast movements forced him to hit a different spot, causing Jak to become suspicious that that was indeed the spot where he needed to hit the dragon.

Jak brought both of its blades together in a cross slash type maneuver, and the scream that followed was to be expected, as the dragon had just lost the three fingers on one of its hands. With a roar that could have been heard for miles if there had been anyone around to hear it, the dragon whirled down to face Jak, who quickly realized just how much he had angered his foe. He also realized that before he was killed by the rage of the dragon, he should take evasive action.

A couple of minutes later, deciding that this tactic was going nowhere fast, Jak decided to change his tactics. He spun around and threw a Yellow Eco spear attack in the dragon's face. The beast pulled up at the last possible moment, and simply swallowed the attack before unleashing a massive Yellow Eco blast out of its second mouth. Jak's eyes widened as he narrowly dodged it, although his shirt was ripped to shreds from the sheer wind that the attack picked up.

Jak decided that it was now or never and he waited patiently by a wall for the dragon to charge. When it did, Jak darted away and the dragon smashed into the wall. He landed on the ground and charged up two balls of Eco, one Red and one Yellow. As the dragon charged, Jak unleashed a massive blast of Yellow Eco at the same time a bright red flamethrower was shot out. The two attacks hit the dragon head on and a massive explosion seemed to shake the foundations of the volcano itself. When the dust cleared, Jak was horrified to see the dragon, quite enraged, and definitely hurt, but still very much alive.

It was then that the dragon made a critical mistake. It became so enraged at this elf that it shot a beam of Red and Yellow Eco at Jak.

Jak stretched out his hands and caught the attacks, Channeling them back so that they would recharge all the energy he had used up and then some. He gathered all of his energy once again, but this time combined both his Yellow and Red Eco powers into only one ball. As he poured more and more energy into it, the energy became harder to contain. When he was done emptying all his power, it was taking every ounce of determination he had not to let it explode. He flew up to the dragon and landed right on the nose of the main mouth. Predictably, it opened up the second one to blow him away and Jak quickly threw his ball of energy inside the beast.

A massive orb of light exploded outwards, a light so pure and absolute that it seared Jak's vision, even though his eyes were closed. The blast also had the effect of disintegrating the majority of Jak's clothing, so that he was left with only the cloth under his armor, and a very showing pair of shorts that ended about five inches past his waist. The Channeler landed on the hard floor, beaten and exhausted, but alive.

The same could also be said of the dragon, who fell to the ground as well. It was bleeding severely, since all of its skin had been ripped away by the attack that had exploded out of its chest.

As the dragon let out a final shriek and died, a treasure chest and a Warp Gate rose out of the lava. Jak crawled over to the chest and opened it. Inside were a pair of gloves that looked as if they were made out of bronze. He pulled them on, and noticed how they seemed to be made especially for him. He heaved his battered body through the Warp Gate, sure that after Keira analyzed them, she would discover a whole new realm of powers that they contained…

* * *

Meanwhile, at Gol and Maia's Citadel…

"Torqueo, I am pleased you are making a speedy recovery." Maia said as she entered his room.

"Why are two Scouts with you Master? I would not dream of attacking you, and if I did, they wouldn't last a second." Maia's eyes widened in shock as Torqueo said this; the Lurkers had been silent. Her question was answered when he turned around and knelt down- his Precursorian eye was in the back of his head, and that was apparently how he had seen them.

"What is your bidding Master? What do you desire?" Maia smirked at his choice of words, she desired a certain elf that she had not seen in years.

"Well, seeing as how Jak was able to snatch Keira away from you, and seeing as how he was smiling when we found him observing your fried body, _and_ seeing as how he defeated you using Channeling powers, I thought I should take a more active role in your education. You see," Maia continued as she began floating down the hallway with Torqueo one step behind her, "you've been using your powers mostly by reflex. I will train you to know and use the subtleties of Dark Eco." Torqueo nodded and leered, his desire for greater power growing again.

* * *

Hey! Sorry this took so long, I've been trying to find a new job, not to mention looking all weekend at what colleges to attend. So, let me know what you guys think, because I really hope that this chapter was a lot better than the one with the Green Eco Temple. I still have nightmares about how I could have spewed out such horrible writing, even by my bad standards. Anyway, please review. Oh, and in case your guessing who Maia wants, good luck, I saved that for a few chapters later. If you want to guess, be my guest, but I haven't even introduced him yet. 


	24. Sandstorms and Seastorms

Red Mage 04- Thank you for the compliment on the chapter, and yes, its good to give Star Wars a bit of a rest. Hopefully, I'll be able to finish the book with mot a lot of influence. Ah, I was wondering what cortosis was, and I thank you deeply for enlightening me. I'll have to go watch Episode V again to see when exactly Luke hits Vader and doesn't hurt him. Thanks for the shot of confidence on the Temple, as they are definitely shaky. Thankfully their almost over, so soon I won't have to bother with them. Yea, I wanted Jak to fight a giant dragon, as you said, what epic is complete without a dragon of some kind? Glad you got the update on the Light Eco User's powers, and Keira's new invention won't be shown for a couple of chapters, but it will definitely put the odds in her favor. Oh, and I think I'm going to start another fan fiction entitled Star Wars: What _Really_ Happened. Its kind of a parody on the scripts of Star Wars. I don't know when I'll be able to get it up though. Thanks for letting me know about animedragongirl. (I was scared I had finally frightened her away with my horrible writing skills).

Disclaimer: I keep forgetting these, so I don't own Jak. If I did, he would not have gotten past the first game, because I would have made this the first game and ruined the series.

* * *

Sandstorms and Seastorms

Keira heard a muffled "thump," followed swiftly by some muttered cursing in a high-pitched voice. She burst out of her room and headed for the Warp Gate. She had a wild smile on her face, expecting to see Jak with a cocky smile on his face. She would even agree with Daxter on how "he," had completed the Temple if only to know that Jak was all right.

The sight that met her eyes was not the one she had expected.

Jak was lying face down on the floor. His body was burned and many lacerations were bleeding. His shirt was no longer on him, and the only articles of clothing he was wearing was the metal ring and backpack he always had on, the armor that had saved his life and hers, and a pair of white pants that were cut roughly off at about three or so inches above the knee. He also had on a pair of gloves that seemed to be made out of Precursor metal. The result was that Jak looked quite bare and unadorned. She began to blush at seeing so much of his ski but quickly put it behind her.

"Daxter, what happened?" she asked as she bent down to help the rodent drag Jak to the couch.

"Oh man Keira, you should have seen it. Jak and I went through the Lava Tube and then we had to go through this really long temple. Jak was barely able to handle it, but I helped him and together we made it through. Then we talked to one of those goober-eyed Precursor thingies and then we had to fight a dragon. I beat it with no problem, but Jak got caught up in a blast." Keira rolled her eyes and growled out her response.

"Daxter, you have to the count of three to tell me what really happened to Jak. One. Two…"

"Okay, okay. Jak fought this really big dragon and then did a trick where he fused Yellow and Red Eco together and made a bomb. He threw it inside the dragon's mouth and blew it up, but he got caught in the blast. He was barely able to get the gloves and crawl through the Warp Gate."

"Okay. I should be able to heal him." Keira muttered to herself.

"You sure you wanna do it yourself? Shouldn't we get Wartstal and Hatu to help out? I mean, they should know a bit about healing right?"

"They went to Hatu's house to get some supplies. I didn't bother to ask what they wanted them for or what exactly they were getting. I've been busy working on my new invention. You see, I took the-" Keira began, her eyes lighting up, but Daxter held his hand up to stop her from going overboard.

"Look honey, as much as I would love to know what new gadget you're making so we can kick some Lurker ass, I think we should focus on healing Jak. I tried switching his Green Eco Box on, but it looks like he's out."

"That's okay. Potentia has some Green Eco ready in a bottle. I guess he got hurt a lot. I wonder why." Keira said, muttering the last part to herself. She went to a cupboard and got out a bottle with green liquid sloshing around in it. She then ran to the kitchen and got a clean rag. As she went back into the living room, she saw Daxter pacing back and forth frantically.

"Calm down Daxter," Keira said soothingly. Daxter stooped his incessant pacing and opted instead to sit down and bite his bottom lip. Keira kneeled down, poured some Green Eco onto the rag, and began wiping his cuts. The restorative powers of the Eco set to work and closed the wounds up. Keira sighed in relief as Jak's breathing became less erratic and more stable. She sat down on the couch and pulled Jak's body so that his head was face-up on her lap. She then sighed with relief that Jak looked all right and hoped that he hadn't lost too much blood, since there would be no way to replenish it if he had.

Daxter eyed this scene but refrained from saying anything; the last time he had pushed Keira too far, she had smacked him so hard that he had a red hand shape on his face for four days before it became a bruise. It had caused many accounts off teasing by fellow elves that he had been beaten up by a girl. Until Keira had heard them saying that. Daxter smiled in satisfaction as he remembered her knocking out a boy twice as big as her…

"Hey guys, Dax got beaten up by that wimpy mechanic chick," a boy named Steve shouted to his friends. Daxter's face turned red with embarrassment and humiliation as they all laughed, at least until a girl's voice piped up.

"That what mechanic chick?" Keira asked as she glared at the boy named Steve.

"You heard me. You're just a wimp that likes machines." Steve said before listing a number of things that he found wrong with her, unaware that her gaze was getting deadly. "Face it, you're weak, weird, short, and ugly. No guy is ever gonna go out with- urf." That last comment had been a reaction as Keira slugged the boy in the jaw, effectively knocking him out. Daxter's jaw dropped as he watched Keira glare at the now unconscious adolescent.

"Why you little-" one boy started as he raised his fist and stepped in as he swung. Keira's eyes widened in fear and she closed her eyes a second before impact.

It never came. She looked up see Jak standing in front of her. He had the other boy's fist trapped in his hand and squeezed and bent the lad's wrist backwards. Eventually the boy cried out and Jak kicked him in the chest. He looked around with a look on his face that clearly asked, "Anyone else want to try that?" The clear answer was no as the gang backed off and vanished. Jak glared at them before looking with concern at Keira, who hugged him. Daxter began to open his mouth but for once kept it shut. As his mouth had stretched, the bruise on the side of his face stretched and sent a sharp pain in his head. He decided instead to simply smirk and shake his head as Jak finally responded to the embrace…

Pulling himself back to reality, Daxter realized that Keira had been the one to heal Jak, a job usually reserved for the master of Green Eco: Samos. "Hey. Where's old short green and wrinkly?" Daxter asked. A look of annoyance was quickly replaced by an appearance of anxiety and fear. She moved Jak's head from her lap before

"This is terrible. Father is missing! I know he went to fight Gol at the Citadel, but he never came back. I think he might be a prisoner now."

"Relax, sweetheart. I got everything under control." Daxter said in a soothing voice as he smiled at her. Far from reassuring her, this comment caused her to snap.

"Under control?" She shrieked, causing the denizens of the neighboring houses to be woken up in a rather unorthodox fashion. Keira continued with her rant. "Lurker armies continue to grow across the land, the sages have been kidnapped, Gol and Maia might be able to complete their terrible plan, and to stop them you're going to have to fight your way through their Citadel!" Daxter looked a bit taken aback at the end of her tirade.

"Uh... yeah. That about uh, sums it up," he said sheepishly. Keira took a deep breath to steady herself before sitting down next to Jak again. She went back to holding his head in her lap as she gazed down at his pale but peaceful looking face. Eventually she nodded off to sleep as well. Daxter scurried over to the couple and curled himself up on Jak's lap, happy that he could still be near his friend.

Jak woke up and opened his eyes. Sunlight streamed through the windows and seared his eyeballs, causing him to close them tightly. He opened them again gingerly and eventually he was looking around, his eyes wide open. He saw Keira dozing above him and blushed slightly as he realized his head was in her lap. He looked down, feeling a pressure in his hips and saw his best friend curled up on his lap.

Jak picked Daxter up and placed him in between his legs. He swiftly got off the couch and couch and stretched. As he did so his arm cast a shadow across Keira's face and her eyes fluttered. She let out a giant yawn and opened her eyes. She saw Jak standing in front of her, looking like a messenger from above with the sunlight streaming in the window behind him. She smiled at him before bouncing up and embracing him, glad he was all right. She had always known that he would make it through the night, somehow she had just known. Nevertheless, it was still a relief to see him walking around.

"Oh Jak. I was so worried that you wouldn't make it. I don't know what I would have done if you had… you know. I wouldn't be able to handle that on top of what happened to dad." She noticed Jak's questioning stare.

"Dad hasn't come back from Gol and Maia's Citadel, and he left three days ago. I think Gol beat him and turned him into a servant or something. Or maybe he's dead." Keira choked out before she began sobbing into Jak's chest. Jak rubbed her back, wishing he could have the burden that was on her shoulders and relieve her of the pain that she felt.

"Hey guys, we're back." Hatu announced as he entered the hut. Jak and Keira quickly broke apart, embarrassed at being seen together.

"Hey guys. Where did you go?" Keira asked; she knew that they had gone back to Hatu's hut, but they hadn't told her why.

"Oh we had to go gather some supplies and maps." Wartstal responded as he unloaded a bag of dried fruit on the kitchen table.

"What do you need so much food for?"

"We need to cross the desert."

"What? No we don't. We need to go north through the Gale Canyon. That's where my father is being imprisoned."

"Yes we know Keira. He's not here so we gathered that he had been captured. But we are going to Pampas Islet. Tarea, the leading authority on Precursor History, lives there. We have no doubt that she has been captured as well, but we think we should go there anyway to make sure that the village is all right."

"I don't know. It might just turn out to be a waste of time. What do you think Jak?" Jak thought for a few minutes before he walked into the kitchen. He got a piece of paper and wrote down his response.

"Why don't we vote on it?" Keira read the note before looking at him strangely.

"How can we vote on it Jak? There's only four of us here." Jak smiled and pointed to Daxter- the guy was easy to forget since he was usually talking. If one didn't hear him, one usually forgot that he was in the room. "Oh, all right." Keira woke Daxter up and she and Hatu explained the two scenarios to him.

"Okay. All in favor of going to the Gale Canyon and rescuing Samos?" Keira said as she raised her hand. Jak put his hand up as well: as much as he cared for the people who might be in trouble, if they didn't stop Gol and Maia, problems would erupt everywhere all at once.

"All in favor of going to Pampas Islet?" Hatu asked as he Wartstal and Daxter raised their hands. Jak looked at him questioningly.

"Look, its not that I don't think we should rescue bark breath. But I think that if we go to Pampas Islet or wherever it is, we might get some allies and maybe a couple of gadgets." Jak and Keira exchanged surprised looks, not only had they not thought of it that way, but Daxter had a fair point and wasn't voting against getting Samos back out of revenge.

"So when are you guys gonna leave?" Keira asked.

"Us guys? The almighty Keira is chickening out on us?" Daxter taunted.

"No, I'm working on a new invention and I'm gonna need time to get it planned out."

"Oooooh. What cha workin' on?" Daxter asked, his eyes wide.

"Nothing I'll tell you guys. It's a surprise."

"All right then. Jak I think we should leave right now, because to get to the port, it will take about four or five days. And since we'll be in the desert, it won't be a spring picnic." Hatu said, his voice and attitude becoming business like.

"Hey, why can't we just ride the Zoomer there?" Daxter piped up.

"Because the sand will clog up the motor." Keira said as she went back into her room. "Hey Jak." She called right before she closed the door. "Be careful." Jak smiled at her and gave her a thumbs up. Jak sighed before going to his bedroom and pulling out a new set of clothes. He blushed as he thought about how Keira had seen so much of his skin. He shook his head; now was not the time to be thinking about Keira, now was the time to concentrate on the mission at hand. Jak thought unpleasantly about how uncomfortably hot the desert would be and suddenly an image of him and Keira relaxing at Sentinel Beach popped into his head. Jak shook his head more violently, wondering what had gotten into him.

As Jak emerged a few minutes later he saw Wartstal and Hatu finish zippering up the bags they had prepared.

"Okay Jak, we are going to have to stick to a definite path. Wild animals roam the desert, and they can get territorial. Alone they aren't that dangerous, but together they can pose more of a threat. We'll only have to hope that they won't smell the Chasers, or we might get into trouble." Jak nodded as he strapped to himself one of the three bulging backpacks. He whistled for Daxter, who came running out of the kitchen with three gangens. Jak's eyes widened as he looked at the rare fruit. They were able to survive hot temperatures for months without going bad, and they retained about a pint of water. How they did it was beyond Jak, considering they were only about the size of a grapefruit. He took them from his friend and patted him on the shoulder, a nonverbal way of thanking him. Jak handed a fruit to each of the Lurkers and they all stored them away as a last ditch effort of they ran out water, which was likely.

As they saddled up, Hatu called over to Jak. "We're not going in a straight line. There's a nasty storm raging around, and to avoid it we're going to have to head southwest. They aren't lethal, but depending on how long they are you could wind up getting lost. After we get out of the tunnel we are going to have to go in a curved path to avoid setting foot in certain animals' territories." Jak gave a thumbs up to show he had heard and pulled down his goggles. While the heat mode wouldn't be much use, they did have a nice zoom function, so they would be well warned if Jak spotted something attempting to sneak up on them.

Three hours later, Jak was cursing Daxter for voting to go to Pampas Islet, no matter what his reasons. The sun beat down unmercifully as they urged their Chasers to go as fast as they could without risking overexertion. Suddenly the sky became dark. Jak looked at Wartstal and Hatu, who looked fearful. "The storm is getting close!" Hatu shouted. The three travelers began urging their Chasers as fast as they could so they could cover the most distance began they became handicapped by the storm's effects.

Jak's Chaser suddenly began freaking out. It bucked wildly and Jak was forced to try to keep on like a crazy rodeo. He was thrown forward and looked up. His Chaser was running away in a random direction and Jak could just barely make out Wartstal and Hatu's silhouettes as they went on, unaware that their most powerful warrior was being left.

Jak tried to stay calm. He turned on his heat vision version and was able to make out Hatu and Wartstal's positions. He wondered why he was able to distinguish them for a second, but then remembered a lesson at school. The teacher had said something like sand could get incredibly hot, but if it was in the shade for even a minute, it would cool off. Jak wondered how to get his team members' attentions; he was out of Yellow Eco, so he couldn't throw a flare. He turned on his Blue Eco Box and flew as fast as could, going so far as to leave a small gale behind him. As he got closer, a small rock that was going through the air smacked Jak right between the eyes and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Daxter wailed and began shaking Jak, trying to wake him up. He considered for a terrible second about abandoning Jak in order to get Wartstal and Hatu, but he quickly began thinking straight. If he left Jak, there was a good chance that he wouldn't find him again, and he wasn't fast enough to catch up with Hatu and Wartstal anyway.

Daxter crawled next to Jak and snuggled up in his arms, trying to keep warm, as the incoming night got closer. Daxter didn't dare fall asleep; the risk of being attacked by a wild animal was too great for him to fall asleep.

Jak stirred and woke up before he let a groan.

"It's about time man. We gotta get goin'. Dawn is coming fast, and we gotta find Hatu and Wartstal unless we want to become corpses out here." Jak blinked a few times before he noticed his best friend. He looked around and was surprised to find himself in the middle of the Desert Colossus. The last thing he remembered was trying to catch up with Wartstal and Hatu and then everything went blank. Daxter sighed as he scrambled up onto Jak's shaky form.

"You got smacked by a rock Jak. You spent the rest of the day knocked out. With all the times you've passed out, I'm surprised you don't have brain damage." Jak responded by rolling his eyes at his friend and thinking the same thing about how often Daxter was hit in the head by Samos' staff and Keira's hand. Personally, Jak would rather fight Gol, Maia, Benedict, Gravis and the entire Lurker Tribe at once without Eco then Keira. He would have a better chance of surviving. A knocking on his heads brought him back to reality.

"Hey Jak. We're lost in the desert. We need to find Wartstal and Hatu. Can you see them anywhere using the zoom thingies on your goggles?" Jak activated the said function and looked around. The closest thing he saw that might give them a lead was a mountain with a flat top. Hatu had described the place where they were heading and Jak thought that might be it. Unfortunately, his Blue Eco had been drained since he had left it on. He judged the distance to be about thirty miles, so it should only take him two days. Two days in this almost unbearable heat. Two days without water. Two days without food. Jak thought bitterly. He had the backpack with the tent; Hatu held all the food and Wartstal had the one with the water.

Jak sighed as he began walking. His plan was to go as far as he could in the dawn by jogging. Once the morning hit he would slow to a walk. He would find an overall shady spot to rest for the afternoon, begin jogging in the evening and then walk slowly through the night. As the sun came up, Jak slowed his pace down. For hours it seemed he walked in the direction of the mountain that was his destination.

Jak wondered bitterly where in the name of Legatee Hatu and Wartstal were. And he was also very curious as to why they had no been looking for him. If they had gotten lost, Jak would have tried to find them by any means necessary.

"Seems like those guys left us out to dry eh?" Daxter panted as he walked beside Jak. Although the sand burned his feet, Jak was becoming exhausted, and Daxter wanted in no way to increase Jak's fatigue. As the full power of the sun hit, Jak set up the tent, sweat pouring down his back and staining his shirt and pants all the time. After what seemed like forever, Jak finally managed to get the tent up and he and Daxter crawled inside. The two of them zippered up the entrance so nothing could get in and then passed out.

The sound of scuffling around outside caused Jak to wake up. He saw elf like figures walking around and wondered if he had found explorers. He opened the door to the tent and was immediately attacked by three ghastly looking creatures. Jak called them that for a lack of knowledge as to what they really were. They walked like elves, but their faces were hidden behind masks made of bone. In each hand they held a small dagger and they wore robes of dull gold, no doubt to try to blend in with the sand. In the fading light, it was the reverse effect; they stuck out like sore thumbs. Jak leaned back as one of them swung its knife at his neck and Jak caught the beast's hand with his feet as he back-flipped and smashed the creature's skull into the ground.

The other two flanked him and circled their prey, trying the throw him off track. Jak simply leapt into the air as they charged and grabbed a dagger from each of them. He held them backwards in a knife style and swung the short swords swiftly. A scream punctured the air as one of the creatures had a dagger go right through its arm. Jak left the knife in the creature's limb as he turned around and picked up the other knife. He then turned to the other one and swung the daggers so swiftly that they flashed in the moonlight and looked like ribbons of light in the air. The beast was skilled with only one blade, as he managed to defend himself against Jak's onslaught for thirty seconds. Eventually, though, Jak scored a hit in the beast's arm, which caused it to drop the knife it was holding by reflex. Jak was quick to capitalize on the situation and flipped the blade backwards before he struck the monster in the back of the head, knocking it out. Jak dropped the knives and on second thought picked one up and hooked it up to his belt: it might come in handy at some point.

As Jak went back to the tent he heard shuffling behind him and spun around, throwing a spinning back hook kick that caught the last creature right in the jaw. Due to where Jak had struck it, the beast immediately slumped over as unconsciousness took its hold on it.

Jak went in the tent to find it in ruin. That third beast must have entered and ripped the place apart, because there were slash marks everywhere, including in the case where it went in. Jak decided to leave the tent there- it was too much trouble to carry around when the case was ruined. Jak gave a soft whistle and Daxter poked his head out from under a pile of ribbons that at one point had probably been the backpack that the tent case went in.

The duo started off again, Daxter riding on Jak's shoulder as it was not hot at all out. In fact, the two of them thought it was pleasantly cool out. It wasn't so cold that they were uncomfortable, but as Jak was walking at a brisk pace, it was cool enough to cool him off so he did not sweat that much.

As the sun rose the temperature once again began to rise. Jak tried to judge the distance between him and the mountain that he could now see clearly even without the zoom function. It wasn't easy due to the heat waves that rose up from the ground and distorted the view around him. He estimated that it was still a good five miles off. Jak decided that he would have to continue walking through the afternoon to reach it before tomorrow.

It was a decision that would prove to be nearly fatal.

When Jak was about a mile and a half away, the heat and the hunger and the thirst finally took their toll on his body and he collapsed. Another windstorm began to pick up, causing Daxter to bury himself in Jak's hair to avoid becoming an Ottsel kite. As he was giving up hope that they would reach the mountain, a figure approached. As it drew nearer, Daxter recognized the figure of Hatu and nearly fainted with relief, until he was almost dislodged by a particularly fierce blast of wind.

"Jak, Daxter." Hatu called as he made his way over to them. He turned around and shouted, "Wartstal, I've found them." The figure of Wartstal now approached and the two brothers nodded grimly. They picked Jak up and carried him and Daxter away to a cave where the bodies of the Chasers were lying. Daxter sniffed the air and almost gagged; the smell was almost overbearing. The rotting flesh of the Chasers was giving off a putrid stench that threatened to override his senses and cause the poor Ottsel to pass out.

"What happened to them?" Daxter asked as he pinched his nose.

"Died from overexertion." Hatu said as he lit a fire and tossed a leg of one of the Chasers onto it.

"From what?"

"We worked 'em too hard when we lost you guys. We didn't realize that you'd been left behind until we arrived, and by then it was too late to try to find you. We went looking all day yesterday, but we didn't find a trace of you guys. They died about three 'o clock today during their fifth run." Wartstal said and he ripped off another leg and threw it into the flame.

"Um, why are you guys doing that?"

"We have to eat don't we. We don't want to waste out food or water: we don't have a lot to spare now that it'll take us another four days on foot to reach the dock of Oceanus."

"So… we're gonna roast this stuff, store it and eat it until it rots?" Daxter asked, slightly revolted.

"Basically." Hatu said. "Now it's tome to wake up Sleeping Beauty here." He added as he began tapping Jak on the face. As Jak stirred, the aroma of roasting meat combined with the stench of the partially rotted flesh made him gag.

"Get used to it Jak, we're gonna smell it until everything is cooked." Jak shuddered as he got up. He grabbed a limb at random from the now small inferno the Lurker siblings had concocted and began munching on it. True, Chasers were traditionally bad tasting and left an unpleasant taste in the mouth afterwards, but one large bite of Chaser meat was supposed to have more protein then a whole Yakow leg. So Jak ate it.

The quartet stayed like that for the remainder of the storm, which lasted another day. As they walked through the desert, following Jak's plan from before, they began to joke again. True, they couldn't talk very loud, but after one day of silence Jak couldn't take it anymore and he began to hum an old ballad about a legendary warrior who became so powerful that all he had to do to win a battle was show up and the opponent would run away. That is, until he met a woman from a rival tribe. For days the two of them fought, and the battle was said to have shaken the foundations of Weyard itself. At the end of the battle, there was no victor. In fact, the two winded up becoming married. And the two of them being warriors, it was sung that their children became the Channelers.

As Jak hummed the part where the man and woman began the fight, Hatu began to chuckle. He too had heard the story, and when he was a child, his elfin mother had told it to him. That one chuckle had begun a conversation between them all.

As the group conversed, they forgot that they were on a strict path that they had to follow in order to avoid trouble. Because of this, they became careless and wandered north of the path that Hatu had said they must take to avoid entering animal territory.

Little did they know that to do such a thing would have dire consequences in the future.

"And then," Daxter choked out as Wartstal and Hatu roared with laughter, "we get his body and we hook him up so that when he wakes up the next morning and moves, he gets jerked up by his ankle." Jak blushed as Daxter told (in great detail) the events of a certain Halloween when Jak had drank a bottle that Daxter had dared him to drink and gotten very happy. He became very agreeable and at the time, a decision to wear a bright pink dress of Lauren's had seemed like a good idea. After he had been laughed at, and beaten up by Lauren, Jak had tripped over a tree root and passed out. Daxter had gotten Keira to help him take advantage of Jak's compromising position. Jak thought about that bottle. Samos had told them it was very special, and that he was saving it for a special occasion. After that night Samos had beaten Daxter with his stick, roaring about how the liquid inside was a rare juice from far south that caused drunkenness in youths and extreme satisfaction in older people.

Hatu recovered from the laughing bout he was enjoying and didn't even notice that he passed right to a landmark that he was supposed to go right of. He told how when he was younger, he and Wartstal had always fought over the approval of a Lurker girl. After three days of argument, Wartstal had agreed to let Hatu go first, and the girl had by then been courted by another male that was significantly more attractive than either of them. They had made a pact that day agreeing never to let anything come between them.

"But of course, my full Lurker blood eventually made me go mad. But being a cross between a Regenerator and a Reviver, I think that is what made me able to overcome it. My mom was the Regenerator. That's what made her so violent. Anyway, she's gone. And now I'm with you guys." Wartstal said. Jak nodded and sat down behind a rock as the sun began to rise. The others followed him and they spotted a promising looking cave about a mile away to shelter. Beyond that was a gigantic mountain, but nobody really concerned themselves with it. Had Hatu recognized it for what it truly was, the disaster that followed might have been averted.

As they trekked towards the cave, Jak noticed a shadow above them. He shrugged it off as a bird of some kind when he looked up and saw a silhouette with wings circling them.

"Hey Jak check it out. That shadow keeps getting bigger." Daxter commented as they continued. Jak noticed that the shadow that had been about the size of a baseball five minutes before was now larger than he was. He looked up and his eyes widened in disbelief. A gigantic ball of feathers swiped down and scooped Jak up by his shoulders. Jak bit his lips as sharp talons attached to scaly-looking legs dug into his flesh. Jak looked up, but could only see that his captor looked like a bird of some kind, but beyond that Jak couldn't make out anything.

Jak reached for his Eco Boxes, but realized that it wouldn't do him any good anyway. He had used up all his Yellow and Red Ecos when he used that finishing move on the dragon in the Red Eco Temple. His Blue Eco was drained from six days ago when he had flown to try to catch up with Hatu and Wartstal when they had gone ahead during the sandstorm.

* * *

"What was that?" Wartstal asked as they ran as fast as they could, trying to keep with the mysterious capturer of Jak.

"It was a Fowl of Glory." Hatu panted. "Those blasted bastards are very territorial. I didn't even realize that we were in their terrain. Did we pass a rock that looked like an arm with a six fingered hand a little while before." The half-Lurker asked as sweat began to leak out of his body.

"Yea. We went right."

"Damn! We needed to go left in order to keep safe."

"So what do we do?"

"I don't really know. Those Fowls are harder to kill than a Berserker. They aren't very tough, but its very hard to actually hit them, since about ninety percent of their body is feathers."

"What about that cave we saw. Is there a chance we can use that?"

"Maybe. I know that they have a nest on that mountain, and I know that there are multiple entrances. We'll have to be careful if we go into the nest to rescue Jak though. We'll be weakened, and in the pinnacle of their power."

"I know. But we don't have a choice. Jak will be killed if we leave him there won't he?"

"Yes he will. Alright, we'll go in through the cave and hope that we can save him before they eat him." And with that last ominous statement the two Lurkers began going at top speed to reach the cave as fast as they possibly could.

* * *

Jak fell to the ground as the bird that had been carrying him to this mountain dropped him. As he landed he saw something that nearly made his jaw hit the floor; this place had an Eco Vent. It was only a Red Eco Vent, but it would have to do. Jak ran as fast as he could for it but a creature blocked his way. It looked like the monster from before, and now that he saw it, Jak had never thought something could get a weird looking as this thing was. Inside the ball of feathers was a gigantic mouth that was big enough to swallow the lower half of his body whole. It had two eyes above the mouth, but those characteristics weren't what made this creature so peculiar. It had two creatures sticking out of its head; both of them blue, two-armed goblin like beings that were complete with stomachs, claws… and mouth. With fangs.

Jak hesitated before he leapt over the creature, which promptly sprouted wings and took off. It slammed into Jak and smashed him into a wall. As Jak fell, Daxter scampered off his shoulder, whimpering in fear as the creatures sticking out of the fluff ball's head dragged Jak to a table. They ignited a fire underneath, which left little to the imagination as to their intentions.

Daxter closed his eyes in fear before the fire spread to Jak's body. The boy groaned as the flames licked his body and scorched his flesh. Daxter suddenly became enraged: after all they had been through, Jak was going to be eaten by a wild animal? Daxter ran to the Eco Vent as he thought, "Not if I can help it. If me and Jak die, it'll be in battle, with me by his side." Daxter reached the Vent, which ironically was powering the furnace that was slowly roasting Jak.

As Daxter ran back, the creature caught sight of him and picked him up with a scaly leg. Jak feebly opened an eye and saw the monster about to stuff Daxter in its mouth. Jak looked closer and saw that Daxter had a ball of Red Eco. Jak stretched his hand out and willed the Eco to get closer to him. The tip of Jak's finger touched the ball of Eco and immediately Jak had conjured up a fireball and shot it straight into the monster's mouth. As it roared in pain and dropped its soon to be meal, Jak scooped his friend up and performed a running rolling jump. As Jak hit the Vent, he Channeled a massive amount and incinerated the strange creature that had wreaked havoc on his, Daxter's, Wartstal's and Hatu's plans.

"Nice job Jak. I could have handled that guy in a second, but I thought I should give you a chance to." Jak rolled his eyes as a wry grin made its way onto his face as Daxter went on about how he had just about to bust out certain moves because he thought Jak wasn't going to make it. He shook his head as he reached a fork in the road and wondered which path to go down. Re signing himself for the worst, Jak chose the left tunnel, keeping up a jog. He reached down and shut his Red Eco Box off: it had been turned on as he had sent a continuous stream of fire at the Legateeish creature.

* * *

"So which way?" Wartstal asked as they approached another fork in the road.

"I don't know. I've never been in these caves."

"The how are we ever going to find Jak?"

"Simple. We follow his scent. I can't smell him, but then again, your senses are much more attuned then mine are. Can you pick up his scent?" Hatu asked. Wartstal sniffed the air deeply and gagged.

"No. All I can smell is blood. A lot of blood. Coming from… the right tunnel."

"All right. That's the way we'll go."

* * *

Jak snuck through the nest, where hundreds of those damned creatures were everywhere. As he maneuvered around in the shadows and behind rocks, Jak saw another Eco Vent. A Yellow one. No matter the cost, Jak decided he had to get to it. It might make things harder at first, but eventually it would pay off. Jak gently took Daxter off his shoulder and placed him on the floor. Daxter looked at him quizzically and had his (for once) nonverbal question answered. He wanted to shout as Jak leapt over the rock, dodging bodies, teeth and claws. Jak reached the Yellow Eco Vent just as a Fowl of Glory swiped at him, it's steel talons glistening in the Eco's light, and Daxter closed his eyes.

The creature howled in pain as an Eco Blade sliced neatly through its leg. As it staggered, Jak swiftly decapitated the two creatures on top of it. The others stood back for a second, unsure of what to do in this unexpected turn of events. Apparently, they decided that they would try to beat Jak using their superior numbers. As they swarmed in, Jak increased the size of his Eco Blade so that it was four feet long and he summoned a ball of fire and wrapped it around his right hand.

As the creatures charged, they were decapitated, cut up, burned, or simply killed by a fellow member of the clan. Jak swung and punched, swiped and struck with both the fire he had wrapped around his right hand and the Eco Blade he held in the left.

Eventually, Jak began to tire. He saw a tunnel opening and decided to make a break for it. As he put his Blade away, Jak Channeled a massive quantity of energy while the Fowls had at least realized, with a hundred of them dead or so, that this foe was simply too powerful to conquer. As Jak focused more and more power into the ball of energy he was creating, it did not get bigger. Instead, its light shined brighter than ever. As his enemies came forth, thinking that the absence of a sword and fire hand was a sign of weakness, they were proven wrong.

Dead wrong.

Jak unleashed an attack so massive, it went through at least fifty of the Fowls and through the tunnel before smashing a hole through the wall. The beam Jak had sent out did not stop until it had repeated this course about three more times. Jak began running as fast as he could, roughly scooping Daxter up as he passed his diminutive friend. Daxter did not necessarily mind the rather rough treatment. He didn't enjoy it, but would rather be handled roughly and saved than be handled gently as Jak slowed down, and then become fodder.

Jak hurtled himself down the tunnel, not even caring at how rough the floor was and how it seemed to tear at his feet. As he came into a bright room, he looked up and saw a hole in the ceiling. Jak squinted and saw that it must be high noon, considering that the sun was pretty much in the hole directly overhead. Jak wondered of a way to get out of this place and heard a commotion getting closer. An explosion rocked the room and suddenly Jak and Daxter were staring at Wartstal and Hatu. There was a comical second where they all stared at each other and blinked. The moment passed and Hatu and Wartstal tried to devise a way out while Jak held the Fowls of Glory back with fire beams and Yellow Eco Grenades.

"Jak! Do you have any Blue Eco?" Jak shook his head as he tossed a Yellow Eco Grenade at an incoming Fowl. He ran back to the group and made motions for them to grab his arms. As the Lurker siblings grabbed his arms, Jak shot all his Yellow Eco straight down, and the resulting force threw him up into the air and out the top of the mountain.

The group rolled down the rocky cliff. Fortunately, none of them were injured with more than a bruise. Jak and the others took refuge in a cave while the Fowls of Glory streamed out the hole in the top of their nest, determined to find the beings that had wreaked such havoc on their home. Jak was so tired as this point that he simply stretched out and fell asleep. Hatu followed him into sleep's blissful embrace. Daxter curled himself up into a ball and fell asleep as well. Wartstal alone remained alert and awake, ready to rouse the others if anything would happen. As night approached, the others finally woke up.

"Good night guys. You in luck, the Fowls didn't discover where we are. I think its time to eat the gangens we have. Its pointless to keep them since we need them badly," Wartstal said as he took his own out and broke it in half. Jak did the same with his and immediately had to start sucking on the small crack he had made- juice inside had started flowing out at an unnatural pace. He kept his mouth there and continued sucking away until at last the flow ebbed. Jak finished splitting the gourd in half and took the bigger half. He put the smaller half on the floor for Daxter and his little friend drank until he was full. Jak was in heaven as he slowly savored the sweetness of the liquid. Although it was very sweet, it did not leave his mouth sticky and craving liquid. On the contrary, it left his mouth leaving clean and fresh, not to mention hydrated. He let out a sigh of contentment just as his friend did. Jak looked down and saw that although Daxter was lying on his back smiling lazily, he had only drunk about half of the juice of the hard-skinned fruit. He picked it up and motioned to Daxter, who could only shake his head. Jak raised the gangen to his mouth and finished it off. He tossed the shells on the ground now that he was finished with them.

"How do we get down the mountain? If we try climbing we'll be spotted and recaptured for sure." Daxter moaned and Jak agreed with him. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Hatu and Wartstal muttering to each other, no doubt trying to think of untried ways out of this place.

"If only we had some Blue Eco, I could fly us out of this place." Jak thought. As he looked outside, he noticed that the Fowls of Glory had all gone out in different directions and there were none left for the home. This would make getting off the mountain a snap, but would also make traveling a lot harder. He motioned to the other two to get their attention and he pointed outside. They nodded to each other and descended to mountain with extreme caution. As they exited the cave, Jak pulled down his goggles and switched them to infrared so he would be aware in something alive was heading their way.

As they neared the bottom of the mountain, Jak's goggles began flashing. As he turned them from heat vision to Eco Search, he saw a Blue Eco Vent off in the distance. He nudged Hatu and showed him. Hatu jolted Wartstal and pointed it out. Jak wished he could just stretch out his hand and the Eco would rush into it. As he traced a path they would have to take to it, his hand wearing one of the two gloves he had acquired recently ended up pointing directly at the Vent. He opened his hand and planned to close it, but a sight caught his eye and stopped him. As he opened the hand, signifying that he would get the Eco, the Vent got brighter. A small beam of Blue Eco shot from the side of the mountain into the glove. Jak started Channeling Eco, so stunned at this new phenomenon that he didn't think to store it. Eventually his brain caught up with what was happening and he flipped on his Blue Eco Box. Once he had a full stock, Jak closed it off and began Channeling Blue Eco into his body.

"Jak. Since when can your do that?" Wartstal whispered hoarsely. Hatu was still stunned; he had never seen a Channeler be able to summon Eco without being close enough to touch it. Jak simply shrugged, but at the moment he didn't really care. Now they could fly a large part of the way to the dock of Oceanus, provided they weren't too far away from it. Jak motioned for the other two to grab his arms, and they did, slightly apprehensive since the last time they had done so, Jak had nearly blown their feet off.

This time they needn't have worried. Jak squatted down before taking off in the sky, raising himself high enough so he could see if something was going to see him. Daxter crawled into Jak's backpack and made sure that nothing would attack them from behind or above.

Hatu pointed to a small spot that Jak needed to zoom in on before he could make it out. It was a small wooden building that had a boat similar, but not identical, to Ollie the fisherman's. He took off for it, going down at an angle so that if he ran out of Eco, they wouldn't all be killed by the fall.

To Jak's surprise, he was able to get most of the way there. As he landed about two miles or so away from the house, a hubbub caught his attention. Strange beings that looked like lizard versions of elves were riding up. Hatu swore under his breath.

"Dodongos…" Hatu muttered as more of the strange beings arrived, some of them covered in armor and riding on large armored snakes. They quickly surrounded everyone, but skillfully cut everyone off from each other so they would be forced to fight on their own.

Jak smiled, but there was no trace of happiness on his face. He was now out of Blue, Red, and Yellow Ecos once again. He did have a considerer able amount of Green Eco left, so if he was injured he would be able to heal himself. And he vowed that if he had to go down, he was determined to make sure these dodongos, as Hatu had called them, remembered him as good prey that made a dent in their numbers. Jak tried to assess the situation. He was up against fifty or so creatures, only a few of which were armored. Most of them simply wore a leather tunic to protect them against the sun.

As three smaller ones attacked at once from different directions, Jak leaped into the air, performing three spinning back kicks right in each of their chests. All three fell to the ground, hugging broken ribs. As Jak landed, he rolled into a somersault and launched himself at one of the snake like creatures and slammed his shoulder into its torso. Jak was pleased when he heard it gasp for breath. As the tail came around to grab him, Jak grabbed it and began to swing it around, sending two smaller creatures and a larger one with a chest armor made out of bone that had been foolish enough to charge him flying away about twenty feet away.

As he swung the Worm, Jak guessed the other creatures would be smart enough to stay away from him until he got rid of it. Jak raised the wormlike beast and slammed it into the ground, severing its spine. It appeared that the creatures operated similar to the Lurkers, as the big ones pointed at certain smaller species who immediately moved so that the small hole in the circle surrounding was filled. The creatures finally ran out of patience decided to strike. Jak quickly did a back flip, causing two of the worm carriers to become entangled. As he landed, Jak kicked out his legs, hitting two of the smaller creatures in the face and sending their nose bone into their brains and killing them in a mercifully swift and nearly painless manner.

As his feet touched the ground, Jak dropped down and tripped a larger lizard like beast. As it started to fall, Jak rose up and delivered a sidekick right to its ribs, causing the rib cage to shatter. Jak ran right at a duo of worms, which were unprepared for what they considered to be a suicidal attack. As they charged at him, Jak jumped and stuck out his feet. Each of his feet slammed into their faces. They went reeling back and Jak imply ran over them, letting them know what a squirrel felt like after being run over by a Transporter. Jak continued running and rammed his shoulder into a very small creature that went flying back, even though Jak hadn't hit it exceptionally hard. As it went flying, the flyweight knocked out two others as it went flying backwards. Jak continued mowing down the creatures; seven more had fallen before three worms, who apparently had been waiting for the opportunity, slithered out of the group unnoticed and wrapped their bodies around Jak.

He couldn't breathe, and was certain he heard a rib or two cracking. He wondered if Daxter would ever regain his old appearance. As he struggled to stay alive, Jak thought of the odds for the group if he died. They weren't good. With Benedict and the Sages on his side, Gol would be able to mow down any opposition as easily as he batted an eye. Just before he passed out from lack of air, Keira's face, scared and worried, surfaced in his mind. Jak's eyes snapped open: he would _not_ fall to these monsters. He had to get out of this, he had to see Keira again, he _had_ to save her from Benedict should he ever try to harm her again. Suddenly, the worms surrounding Jak were chopped up.

Jak fell to the ground and looked around at the steaming piles of corpses. Hatu and Wartstal were standing with their Eco Sabers on, smiling grimly. Jak smiled back as they pulled him up. The three of them assumed a triangle stance and went off in different directions. Jak leapt into the air and brought his feet down on a skull. As the owner of the said head smashed into the ground, Jak picked its body up and hurled it. The dead body went flailing around and bowled over about five others.

Jak healed his injuries as he picked up another large one by its chest and then slammed it into the ground. Jak kept hold of the body and jumped into the air, launching the now unresisting body at the remaining few. Whichever of the creature stupidly decided not to flee were killed by either Jak's martial arts skills or the lethality of Hatu and Wartstal's Eco Sabers.

As the creatures fled, Jak, Wartstal, and Hatu made a break for the small house. When they arrived, they saw with some trepidation that the house was deserted and the Warp Gate was deactivated. Jak quickly fixed this problem and went through, only to emerge with an obviously stressed out Keira. She hugged them all, lingering on Jak to make sure he was really there and this whole scenario was not a cruel joke made up by her mind.

"So how do we get from here to Pampas Islet?" Keira asked after Hatu had told her his and Wartstal's side of the story and Daxter had told his version of his and Jak's half.

"This boat runs on Power Cells I think ten should do the trick. What do you think Keira?" Wartstal said as he ran his hands up and down the engine. Keira joined him in examining the motor.

"Not nearly that many. With an energy amplifier and a cross wire magnifier like this, this baby should get us there on three. Maybe two." Keira muttered the last part to herself as she took the pouch of Power Cells that Jak had given her and placed three into the motor. The engine roared to life and they shot off toward Pampas Islet, and hopefully the only remaining Sage.

As they set out, Jak decided to explore the boat a little. Although it was very similar to the boat that the fisherman had in Sandover, they were not identical; this one was forty feet long and had a cabin. As Jak went inside, Keira followed. Now that Hatu, Wartstal, and Daxter were occupied with the exterior, she and Jak finally had some alone time. As Jak looked in each very small room, she wrapped her hand around his. Jak looked faintly embarrassed, but didn't do anything. A quick glance at Keira made him slightly nervous; the same mischievous twinkle that had been in her eyes twelve days ago when they had nearly kissed again was back in full force.

"Hey guys. I found the kitchen. Lets get something to eat, I'm starved." Daxter called from what sounded like under their feet.

"Leave it Daxter to use his nose and find the kitchen before any of us eh Jak." Keira said jokingly as she found a flight of stairs they hadn't noticed before. Jak agreed with her, but had to settle for nodding instead of talking.

When the two elves found the kitchen they were amazed. There wasn't an oven here, nor was there any machines of any type. All that was there was a metal grid over a small fire. Jak opened a large door and immediately shivered. The door he had found was the entrance to the freezer. Jak pulled two fish about the size of his arm and tossed them on top of the grid. Keira handed him some wood and soon the small flame had risen to a decent cooking fire. As the skin of the fish sizzled with heat, Jak's mouth began to water. He glanced at Keira, who was moving her head very rapidly up to stare at the ceiling. Jak was somewhat puzzled by this behavior, every time he looked at Keira, her neck was moving very fast in another direction. As he took the fish off the grill, Hatu and Wartstal strolled in.

"Mind if we join you?" Hatu asked as he sat down. Jak shook his head and tossed them a piping hot fish. As they five of them ate, Jak bean to relax. He had been tense the whole time in the desert. He had been afraid, afraid for his life, fearful for Keira, whom he had left totally unprotected, and apprehensive about Samos. Personally, Jak agreed with Keira- Samos was far too powerful to be held back from coming back unless he had lost to Gol and was now being held prisoner. He shook his head to clear it of these dark and depressing thoughts and pulled a deck of cards out of his backpack. He looked around asking if anyone wanted to play.

"Sure," Keira said as she wiped her hands off on a napkin.

"I'm in too," Daxter replied as he sat in Keira's lap, only to be picked up and placed out of between her legs. "What? I was gonna help you out Keira." A stern looked sent him a perfectly plain message. "Sheesh," he muttered. "Some people are so touchy."

"Why not," Hatu responded as he distanced himself from his brother.

"Count me in," Wartstal answered as he wiped the last of the fish grease off his mouth.

As the night waned and the sun rose, they played various card game, ranging from Crazy Eights to Kings in the Corner.

Right after breakfast, a sudden lurch made the entire boat shake.

"What was that?" Keira asked. Jak shrugged his shoulders, but became concerned when it happened again. And again.

"I'll go see of its something outside." Hatu said. A shout followed by a splash was all they heard before the rest of the group tore up the stairs and rushed outside.

"HATU!" Wartstal screamed when he saw his brother in the ocean. "Hang on!" Wartstal dived into the water and swan out to his brother, desperate to save his only living relative.

"Do something Jak!" Keira screamed. Jak nodded and grabbed a floatation device with a rope around it. He hurled it as far as he could and Wartstal caught it. Jak tried to pull them in, but the raging sea would not allow him, and Keira and even Daxter strained themselves trying to help. When the two were safely on board, Jak took in the surroundings, amazed at the change. The calm blue of the sky had given way to a stormy grey. A once tranquil ocean raged and roared as fast winds blew the water about, making giant waves. Jak dragged Hatu in the house, where it was safe, and Keira did the same to Hatu. The twp were set up near the cooking fire in the kitchen, and Jak turned it into a near inferno.

For an hour the two elves waited for Hatu and Wartstal to wake up and they finally did.

"Thanks…" the muttered faintly before passing out again. Jak smiled and stopped worrying: the fire had done its job, and now the two had stopped shaking. He pulled Keira into an embrace and the two of them fell asleep as well.

When they woke up about twenty hours later, they were all elated to see the island they had been traveling to loom into sight, only about a hundred feet away.

"Finally." Keira said as they stepped off the boat. Jak agreed with her as he stepped onto the island and stretched in the sunlight. The new land was beautiful, Jak thought. Rich green grass, decent sized and healthy trees, and a crystal clear lake. Jak thought that this was the only place he had visited so far that could even compare to Sandover Village.

"C'mon, let's go," Keira said as she took off through the meadow. Jak ran after her, and the two of them enjoyed a game of chase as they made their way for Prairie Civic: home of Tarea, Precursor History Expert. When they finally arrived at the house, Jak, Daxter and Keira knew instantly that the place had been deserted and the last Sage had been kidnapped. The door was swinging open and there was a sense of abandonment about the place. Jak entered and saw he was right, but this capture must have been difficult- scrolls were pulled out of the walls, a window was cracked, and the table and other bits of furniture were upturned.

"Wow. Sure looks like this Sage knew how to handle himself." Daxter commented as he followed Keira inside, keepinghis eyes trained on certain parts of her body.

Hatu and Wartstal merely looked at each other grimly, since they knew Tarea had been captured.

Jak looked and saw how one could easily become a history expert by living here. The entire house looked more like a library than a house. As Keira and Jak began to clean the place up so they could inhabit it for a day or two, screams broke through the air. Jak ran outside, quickly followed by Keira, armed with her crossbow, and the two Lurkers, who kept their distance, not keen to be seen by the villagers.

As the group drew near to the source of the commotion, they saw exactly what had caused it, and Jak's jaw dropped as he saw…

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And that seems like a good place to stop. I hope you guys like the next chapter, as it will consist of a short fight scene, not to mention a few new OC's. Sorry again for not updating on Saturday. Truth be told, my weekends are now pretty much shot, what with working (ugh) nine hours a day, but I'm looking for a new job with more flexible hours, so hopefully I'll find one soon. Until then, I'm sorry to say you will have to contend with sticking to my sorry pathetic excuse for literature once a week on Sunday instead of Saturday. As to why I did not update on Sunday, I had to go to bed as soon as I got home at nine o clock because today I had surgery. Yay wisdom teeth! On the plus side, I do get to stay home from school this week, so maybe I'll have another chapter for you guys by Saturday. Now that I've bored you all with my personal life, please let me know how this chapter was. I'm a little nervous about the whole crossing the desert, not to mention the sea journey. If you guys have any ideas, I'll trade you them for some cookies. Or ice cream. Or, oh whatever, please just review, and if you have any ideas, suggestions, flames, or questions, chances are I'll use, respond, use them to roast marshmallows or answer them. Anyway, until next week, goodbye. And look below.

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My Top Five Favorite Fanfictions. (They are listed alphabetically, not by preference.)

1. Not Everything Is As It Seems by Light-Eco-Sage

2. Risen Demon by Red Mage 04

3. Surge by Amathist Fwirrel

4. The Jak and Daxter Prank War by animedragongirl

5. War of the Ancients by Red Mage 04

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Quote of the week- Family Guy

Guy on Street #1: (Looks at watch) It's 3:00. Where the hell is Louie?

Guy on Street #2: Well, you tell me. Louie left his house at 2:15 and had to travel a distance 6.2 miles traveling at a rate of five miles a hour. What time will Louie arrive?

Guy on Street #1: (Thinks for a second) Depends if he stops to see his ho.

Guy on Street #2: (pats boy on head) That's what we call a "variable".


	25. New Friends and New Trials

Red Mage 04- Yea, deserts are cool. I thought that the first game was a little too simple; I mean, there was only a few kinds of environments. I'm trying to take every major environment and turn it into some kind of city, or dungeon. You know, it's the funniest thing. I kept telling myself in my head "Don't forget about Keira, don't forget about Keira" and what do I do? Forget about Keira. It takes a true absent minded person to do that. (bows). Thank you for the compliments and please continue to work on your story. As to the length, I'm definitely more than halfway done, but how far, I dunno. More than halfway, but not two-thirds, so somewhere in between.

Disclaimer- I actually remembered to start cranking these things out, and I'm seriously considering making only 1 super long chapter so I don't have 2 say I don't own Jak or Daxter repeatedly.

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New Friends and New Trials

"Holy Crap!" Daxter breathed.

It was an expression that fitted Jak's thoughts perfectly. He hadn't been expecting to have to face a creature like this. It looked like something out of the books he had read as a child about pirates and sailors. The sea serpent was about thirty feet long, and had a dull grey skin. Its mouth -big enough to swallow Wartstal, the biggest member of the group, whole- was littered with razor sharp fangs. It caught sight of Jak and the others and let out a roar. Jak quickly put his hand on his Eco Boxes before grimacing- he was completely drained of all Eco, even Green.

Keira drew her bow and arrow as Wartstal and Hatu drew their trusty Eco Sabers.

Jak leapt onto the monster and began pummeling every inch he could reach with his hands. His efforts did not hurt the beast, nor did the anger it. In fact, Jak thought that it couldn't even feel him hanging there and hitting it. Hatu and Wartstal leapt into the fray as well, swing their Eco Sabers in elaborate patterns in an attempt to throw the monster off. The two Lurkers leapt into the air and brought their Sabers crashing down. They were hurled back as the Sabers were repelled by the odd skin that surrounded the serpent.

"What the?" Hatu breathed as his brain processed what had just happened. The skin of that creature had somehow blocked the power of their Eco Sabers.

Jak watched his two friends get sent back, only to reemerge. As they charged again, the serpent slapped them with its head and sent them flying into Tarea's hut. Jak lunged onto the sea creature's face and pulled his fist back to punch it in the eye. The beast let out a horrible shriek and thrashed around. Seconds later, Jak found himself going through a wall and seeing Hatu and Wartstal for a second before crashing through another wooden wall and hitting his head on Keira's bed. He stood up and shook his head, groaning. Jak noticed his old Eco Belt and examined it. To his delight, he found that all of its boxes were full to the brim.

Keira looked over at the hut and began running for it to make sure he was all right when a figure shot out of the house. She saw it was Jak and let out a whoop of glee. Jak threw a spear of Yellow Eco at the serpent and saw it break apart. Jak held out his hand and the wisps of the spear flew back to his hand. Jak summoned an Eco Blade and attacked ferociously. The skin of the beast, however, seemed to be impervious to Yellow Eco. Jak hammered away at the monster again and again, but all his sword did was bounce off. Jak gathered almost all of his remaining Eco and sent a gigantic beam of energy right into the monsters face. When the smoke cleared, the beast was relatively unharmed. Jak looked closer and saw that the skin was beginning to peel away where the center of his beam had hit.

"Oh great, that means I have to fire a beam bigger than all these Eco Boxes together could hold." Jak thought bitterly. He tried another tactic and front flipped so that he was behind the sea snake's head and unleashed a torrent of flames. Far from giving the creature third degree burns as the flames would have given to any other monster, they merely made the stone-like skin glow red for a second.

Jak got off the beast and racked his brains to come up with something he hadn't tried yet, he saw Keira fit an arrow into her bow and take aim. He wondered what she was hoping to achieve a second before she let the arrow fly: right into the center of the serpent's right eye. It shrieked as blood began gushing from the wound inflicted on its only vulnerable spot.

"Jak," Keira shouted, "throw an Eco Grenade into that eye!"

Jak nodded and summoned a Yellow Eco Grenade with the last of his power and launched it right at the beast's injured eye. The sea serpent turned its head and whacked the Grenade away. Jak followed it with his eyes to make sure it wouldn't harm anyone, but it looked like it would be okay. Jak turned back to the battle, and then spun around again. The Grenade was heading right for a woman, about seventeen or eighteen, by the looks of her. She was about Keira's size, if a little taller, and had long, flowing blonde hair and green eyes. Jak rushed for her, trying to get to her before the blast hit, but stopped at the look in her eyes. There was no fear, nor was there any curiosity, so he knew that she knew what was heading for her. She held out her hand and the ball of Yellow Eco was simply absorbed into her body. Jak and Keira stared as they realized they had discovered another Channeler. Jak watched as the girl's aura flared to life. His arms dropped disbelievingly to his side and his jaw dropped as her aura grew until it rivaled what Gol's had been when Jak had battled him on Misty Island two months ago. She shouted for Jak and Keira to get out of the way, and that was jus what they did. The girl shot a beam of Eco at the serpent so massive that it engulfed the entire beast and disintegrated it. Jak and Keira stood disbelievingly until the girl walked up to them and introduced herself as Margaret. After she had gotten over what she had seen, Keira familiarized herself and Jak, who nodded.

Later, at a ceremony, Jak, Keira, and Margaret sat in the back, trying not to be noticed. Their efforts were futile, as people kept turning around in their seats to get a good look at them. Jak raised his eyes to the skies, praying that this boring procedure would end soon.

"And to the citizens of this fair town, it is my great pleasure to introduce the heroes and heroines that saved us all from the group of that horrid sea serpent: Jak, Daxter, Keira, and our very own Margaret!" There was a polite amount of applause for the first three names, but when Margaret's name was called everyone went wild, clapping their hands, stomping their feet, and screaming at the top of their lungs. The mayor of the town, a man about Jak's width, but a mite shorter, and with balding red hair, raised his hands. Eventually the thunderous applause died down.

"It is my great pleasure and honor to award Jak with the Staff of Spirits!" There was a collective gasp from the civilians before they all went deadly quiet. Jak rose hesitatingly as the mayor beckoned him forward. The mayor presented Jak with a long golden staff of about six feet. It was very plain until the end. There was a golden ring with six smaller rings wrapped around the big one. The big ring was flattened at each of the two sides, which had been sharpened until they looked like they could go through a Troll's skin with very little trouble. There was also a unique design inside the hoop; three golden spheres going up from the bottom and down from the top. They did not meet in the middle, two boomerangs with the points facing away from each other were attached to the final ball and were welded together in the direct center. At the very top of the hoop on the outside there were two spikes curving outward with a triangle pointing straight up where the split between the curves was.

Jak smiled as the town once again broke out into applause. Daxter, Keira and Margaret joined him on the stage and together they bowed to the town and the mayor before leaving.

"We should head back to Wasteland Metropolis Jak," Keira said.

"Why are you guys going there?" Margaret asked, then immediately slapped herself mentally. It was absolutely none of her business what the affairs of these elves and Lurkers were.

"We're gonna go through the Gale Canyon." Keira told her. "We're trying to get to the City of the Sky and from there, Gol Akaron's Citadel."

"The Dark Eco Sage? What business do you have with him." The three travelers exchanged looks before inviting the kind Channeler to sit with them while they explained their predicament. Margaret looked horrified at the end of the tale, which had taken most of the day.

"I'll come with you. If he's really as strong as you guys say he is, then I'll come with you and help you defeat him." Jak and Keira looked at each other.

"I won't be a repeat of Benedict. I'll stay loyal to you guys. I swear." Jak looked at her eyes and nodded; he could detect no lies within her eyes, nor could he sense any turmoil within.

"So Margaret, how did you do what you did before?" Keira asked. Jak leaned forward- he was anxious to know as well.

"What? Oh you mean the one ball into that whole beam?" Jak nodded and covered Daxter's mouth to prevent her from hearing the sarcastic retort he no doubt had in mind.

"I'm an Amplifying Channeler." Margaret said proudly. "It means that if can increase an Eco's amount if its in my body. You saw before, I took a small ball of Eco and can convert it into a gigantic beam." She added, seeing the puzzled look on Jak and Keira's faces. The four of them then spent another hour or so discussing various topics, ranging from the weather to whether or not Daxter would ever get a girl. This last topic caused the aforementioned rodent to leave huffily, causing giggles to erupt from Keira and Margaret, who had become fast friends.

The six of them hopped through the Warp Gate and went back to Potentia's hut. They enjoyed a good nights sleep and the next day sat down to a family style breakfast.

"It's decided then?" Hatu asked after breakfast. The group nodded their agreement. "All right then, Jak, Daxter and Margaret will travel through the Gale Canyon alone, since the two of them are the best fighters we have and since there are only two of them, it will be hard for anyone to detect them out there. Wartstal and I will remain here to keep an eye on Keira, since the city is not safe at the moment." Jak nodded as Margaret stood up and walked outside. Jak followed her, pausing on the way to give Keira a hug goodbye.

As Jak caught up with Margaret halfway to Gale Canyon, she greeted him with enthusiasm. "Ready to go Jak?" she asked, and Jak grinned in response.

"Jak! Wait!" Keira shouted as they walked through Wasteland Metropolis. Jak turned around to see her running at him. She had something in her arms, but from the distance, he couldn't tell exactly what it was. When she reached him, she held the object out and he saw it was some kind of cloak. "This will help you to keep warm. The Gale Canyon has prevalent winds, and they will make it very cold sometimes." Keira explained as she handed another cloak to Margaret.

"Thanks Keira," Margaret said with a warm smile as she put it on.

"No problem. You take good care of Jak," Keira said as she pulled him into a mock headlock. "Or you'll have to deal with me," Keira said in a playful growl. Margaret giggled.

"Don't worry. I'd rather fight that sea serpent covered in gravy and put in a sack then fight you." Keira smiled back.

"I'll see you when you get back Jak," Keira whispered to Jak in his ear when Margaret turned her back on the pair. Jak shivered as her voice seemed to rattle his spine. He stood up, broke the grip, and looked down at her. "Bye Jak," Keira said softly as he smiled at her. Jak pulled his friend into one last hug before he let her go and followed Margaret into the Canyon, catching up to her about a hundred feet into the new area. He saw her standing still, trying to decide which way to go down a two-way path.

"So Jak, which way do we go?" Margaret asked. Jak shrugged and scratched his head. He pulled the map his uncle had given him and tried to make something out, but it appeared that there was not a sub detailed map. A particularly strong blast of wind blew it out of his hands and into the depths of the Canyon. Jak and Margaret looked at each other.

"Shall we just choose a Precursor be damned path and stick with it already?" Daxter yelled from the confines of Jak's backpack, struggling to make his voice heard above the sound of the wind. Jak pointed to the right and Margaret nodded. The two of them clutched their cloaks tighter around them in an attempt to keep their bodies warm.

Jak and Margaret trekked through the Gale Canyon. Admittedly, it wasn't as bad as it could have been, Jak thought. After a while, the even path began to get rocky and uneven. Jak looked over at Margaret and saw she was looking at a strange device. He walked closer to her and looked in over her shoulder. It was a circle with a needle in the center. There were four letters- an N at the top, an S on the bottom, a W on the left, and an R on the right.

"This is a compass Jak. It let's me know which way is north, and avoid getting lost." Jak took it from her as she handed it to him and turned it. He noticed how the needle always pointed the same way. Margaret explained how the needle always pointed north, and how all you had to do to find out which way was north was to line the red needle up with the red N.

"Since we need to go northwest, we need to take that path," she said, pointing. Jak was amazed at how much easier this simple little device could make life as he followed the Channeler down the second path to the left. Using the compass, they went down that tunnel and then turned right at the next fork. As they continued through the Gale Canyon, the two Channelers' path began to descend. At the bottom of the hill was a three-way fork. Using the nifty compass, Jak and Margaret determined that the correct way was to the left. They continued down the said path. Jak suddenly stopped short, causing Margaret to walk right into him. A muffled sound came from Jak's backpack as her body crushed it slightly. Jak paid no attention to Daxter's muffled protests. He closed his eyes, hi ears twitching. He heard something, but he couldn't discern what it was. All of a sudden, the noise became familiar to Jak and he grabbed Margaret and threw the two of them to the ground, spinning so he would take the brunt of the fall.

"Jak! What the hell are you doing?" Margaret asked as she struggled to get up. Jak kept his grip on her body as firm as ever and did not allow her to get up. Suddenly a loud crash made her body go limp. To the right of where they were now, right where they had been standing before, and exactly where Margaret had been trying to stand up to, was a boulder that could have easily squashed them. Jak let go of Margaret, who was flushed and breathing heavy. They looked at each other for a second during which she whispered "Thanks," weakly. Jak shrugged before his eyes widened and he pointed. Margaret turned around, a bubble of hot liquid in her stomach. She saw more boulders heading their way. Jak and she quickly began running, dodging the rocks as they fell and shattered, causing smaller rocks to roll down with her. They had to stop short continuously in order to avoid being killed. Jak once again grabbed Margaret and jumped off the edge of the precipice they were standing on. He activated his Blue Eco Box as they fell and they landed on a new path with a soft thump.

As they stood up and looked around, it was obvious they would need shelter soon. The sun was beginning to descend, and with night would only come more danger, since rock scrambling in the dark was hardly what one could consider "safe." Jak pulled his goggles down and switched them to night vision, since the light from the sun was already beginning to fail. At the next fork they encountered they turned left, then right, and finally arrived at a fork with a cave. As they entered, Jak found a boulder and picked it up with the aid of Red Eco. He carried it over to the cave's entrance and sealed it so they would not have to stay awake during the night and keep watch. He turned around and went into the cave. When he arrived at the main belly of the cavern, he found that Margaret was very swift; she had already lit a fire and began heating up some of that liquid she called coffee. As Jak drank to his warm and soothing drink, he suddenly felt more alert. After a while, his body was bristling with energy. He got up and paced as the power within him continued to grow he began to get a little frightened of the sheer amount of power his body was producing. Feeling he absolutely had to work it off or go crazy, Jak went over to the boulder and move it aside. He summoned two Eco Blades and began training with them in order to sharpen his skill. He moved his arms and wrists so fast that when Margaret peered outside the cave to see what he was doing. She saw nothing except whirling blades of Yellow Eco. She watched in awe as he moved so fluidly and past that he looked like he was wielding twenty Eco Sabers, not two.

After a while, Jak finally felt the inexplicable energy that had been burning inside his body begin to recede. He went back into the cave, remembering to seal it back up before he went all the way back in. When he sat down and smiled at Margaret, he suddenly collapsed, dead asleep. Margaret giggled at his form, his arms outstretched, legs tangled up, and his mouth open as he snored lightly. "I guess he's never had caffeine before." she thought as she dragged him over to a spot away from the fire and covered him with a blanket. She thought about the first time she had had coffee. It had been almost the same thing; she had burned off all the excess energy before the recession caught up with her and she passed out.

* * *

"Hey Keira. Something wrong?" Wartstal asked as he spotted the mechanic over her new invention. That wasn't very unusual, but her normally cheerful face was sad and worried. "Worried about Jak?" She nodded.

"Sort of," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you think Jak likes me still?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Wartstal asked, curious as to why the girl didn't seem to want to accept the fact that Jak was very much interested in her.

"You don't think that maybe he might start to like Margaret more do you?"

"What?"

"I mean, she is a Channeler. And she's attractive. I want to know what you think; will Jak dump me for her?"

"What makes you think that Jak would do that to you, even if Margaret _is_ a Channeler?"

"Because, she will be able to take care of herself. He won't have to look after her."

"Keira, I've seen the way Jak looks at you and the way he looks at her. He likes her as an acquaintance, maybe a friend. He looks at her the same way he does Daxter. You on the other hand. He looks at you as something more. Jak would never stop liking you. Not even all of Gol's black magic could take Jak's affection for you away." Keira gave a small smile at this statement; it relieved her of the fears that had been plaguing her lately. She thanked the Regenerator for reassuring her as she went bask to work, fiddling away with her invention.

* * *

In the morning, Jak woke up with the peculiar sensation he was floating. When his eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness, he realized he was right: he was being hung by his wrists in a dungeon. Creatures that were bright purple were milling around, covered in leather armor. Jak looked to his left and saw Margaret still passed out.

"What happened?" Jak thought as he struggled against his bonds. It was to no avail- strong he might be, but no elf had ever broken normal metal before without the aid of Eco. He looked over at the creatures again and finally recognized them as goblins. Samos had told them about them and he had forgotten completely the warning Samos had given him a couple of weeks ago about staying in caves in the Gale Canyon.

"Goblins know that canyon like the back of their hands," Samos had said. "They know the entrance to every cave, and trust me; they have a secret entrance to it. If you ever stay in a cave, don't fall asleep. In the middle of the night, the goblins will come out through the secret entrance and seize you."

"Thanks for the warning Samos, I can't believe I forgot it." Jak thought bitterly. A rustling behind him drew his attention and he craned his neck to see Daxter peering over his shoulder.

"Jak! What the hell are those things?" Daxter whispered. Jak moved around so Daxter wouldn't be visible and he motioned with his eyes to his Eco Belt. "Gotcha," Daxter whispered as he climbed down Jak's body. He flipped the switch on Jak's Yellow Eco Box and Jak quietly snapped the chains by producing an Eco Saber for a split second. He fell to the ground and anxiously looked over at his captors. They appeared oblivious that their prey had just managed to escape his bonds and was freeing the female elf. Goblins were not particularly cruel creatures; they were actually misunderstood. They were very primitive, and therefore, territorial. They saw the two elves as trespassers and captured them. They planned to eat them, not out of cruelty, but because it made the most sense to them. If they simply allowed them to die, it would be food gone to waste. However, since the two elves had not attacked the tribe or done anything to warrant aggression, they left the prisoners relatively unguarded. This made escaping very easy, but the reason they often didn't work was that most elves wanted revenge and decided to take out the one goblin guarding them. This in turn made the goblins enraged and eventually the aggressive elf fell from by the goblins' sheer numbers.

Jak remembered all of this from his studies in school and as he freed Margaret, he planned of a way out. Using his power of levitation, Jak flew over the guard without being noticed and up a tunnel. As he landed, he saw a glimmer of light coming out of a crack in the stone. He quickly summoned an Eco Saber and began cutting through the rock. As the circle he was carving out became completed, Jak kicked it and stepped into the morning light, squinting slightly as he did so. He put the circle back in and melted it back into place with his Red Eco Fire. He stepped back and looked at his handiwork, happy that the goblins would not be able to discover what had become of them. Jak felt glad as he reflected on the fact he had finally escaped from a trap without killing anything.

Jak looked around and saw that he had somehow managed to come out in a deep valley. The only ways were either flying, which Jak didn't want to do because it used Blue Eco, or climbing. Jak sighed and shook Margaret awake. She yawned and stretched looking mildly surprised to see her surroundings were nothing like the ones she had seen when she had gone to sleep. Daxter bragged about how he had killed fifty goblins before they had decided to turn tail, leaving the trio to do whatever they wanted. Jak pointed up and made a miming motion that clearly said "we have to climb." Fortunately, the rock was very rough and grabbing and keeping a grip was relatively simple. Jak stored Daxter in his backpack as he pulled his body up.

After an hour, Jak and Margaret were only halfway up the mountain. It wasn't very unexpected, they had been about two hundred feet down, and they weren't able to move very fast, due to the fact that they didn't have the proper equipment. Jak waited for Margaret to catch up with him (she was behind by about three feet) before grasping her hand. He Channeled a fair amount of Green Eco into them, getting rid of their fatigue and preparing them for the rest of the climb.

Finally, they pulled themselves over the top of the cliff. They looked down and saw just how far they had come. Jak reassessed the distance they had traveled; he put it now at about three hundred feet. Jak sat down and saw Margaret shrug off her backpack. She rubbed her right shoulder and Jak looked at the skin and was worried to see it was a reddish raw. He gathered a small amount of Green Eco into a ball and placed it directly on the agitated skin, healing it quickly. Margaret gave him a look of deep gratitude and relief as she opened her backpack and pulled out the sandwiches she had been carrying. Jak took two of the peanut butter and jelly, while Daxter gave into his body's cravings for meat and took the one with Croca and Yakow meat. Margaret leaned against a rock as she enjoyed her ham and cheese sandwich. Jak pulled a bottle of water out of his backpack and took a long draft. He handed it to Margaret, who gratefully accepted it and took a deep draught. As she took another drink, she thought of the boy that was sitting in front of her. He seemed so strong, and yet gentle. All the guys on her island who were physically fit felt the need to always be rough and forceful. Jak was also a killer; she had watched him kill the serpent attacking her village without a second thought, and without any pity. And yet the same boy played with his best friend, who happened to be an Ottsel, and she had woken up early the other morning to see him with a couple of birds in his hair as he watched the sun come up. He was a mystery, no doubt about it, she thought. He caught her looking at him and she just smiled, not sure of her intentions toward him or even if she would act on them. Keira might not be a Channeler, but Margaret could sense that if she angered Keira, them mechanic would give her a new definition of the word fear.

After ten minutes of rest, Jak stood up and stretched. He bent down and offered his hand to Margaret, who gratefully accepted it. As he helped her stand up, the winds began to pick up again, blowing the last of their relaxation away. Jak pulled his cloak closed and began down a new path. Margaret followed, walking right next to him.

As the two of them continued, they eventually arrived at another small mountain range. They weren't mountains per se, more like high bits of rocks sticking out of the ground, no more than fifteen or twenty feet high. Jak began climbing the nearest one and after reaching the top, he simply jumped from one to another. Margaret followed, taking a different path than he did. They both arrived at the same destination at roughly the same time anyway. Jak noticed another valley, only this one seemed easier to get to, as it wasn't more than twenty feet below. The two of them looked around for the easiest route down short of Eco.

"There Jak," Margaret said as she pointed to as vine. Jak walked over to it and inspected it. It was thick and looked like it would support their weight, as long as they went one at a time. He quickly back flipped over the edge just to scare Daxter and grabbed the vine. He climbed down and waited for Margaret. When she too had reached the bottom, they looked around and consulted the compass. To their relief, they had been heading north and now had to alter their course slightly so that they headed northwest. The next day they would start heading straight west. Doing so, according to Hatu, would allow them to exit the Gale Canyon more or less right where the entrance to The City of the Sky.

As they continued, Jak suddenly fell through a hidden hole. He looked up and immediately rolled to the right to avoid being crushed by a falling stone. After the dust cleared, Jak stood up and used a ball of Yellow Eco as a flashlight. He pulled his goggles down and switched them to night vision mode. To his dismay, whatever had caused him to be split up from Margaret had also sealed up the hole through which he had fallen. Jak's communicator began to beep and he opened it.

"Jak are you okay?" Margaret's concerned voice came through. Jak thought it was funny that when Margaret spoke, he felt nothing, yet whenever he heard Keira's voice through the communicator he felt lighter and happier.

"Yea, we're fine. We just landed in a cave and we have no idea where we are." Daxter practically shouted. The only thing that restrained him was the thought that the sound might awaken some unwanted guests.

"Look, just find a way out and send up a ball of Yellow Eco when you make it to the outside. I'll make my way toward it and we'll link up. In the meantime, I'll keep going northwest."

"And what if we wind up goin' in the completely wrong direction?" Daxter asked.

"Then I'll send up a ball of Yellow Eco and you guys will come to me." Daxter grumbled but muttered his assent. Jak switched the com-link off and looked around for a way to go.

* * *

Margaret looked around at her surroundings. She was a mite uneasy about the fact that she had just lost her partner, but she overcame the unease and continued on her way. Eventually she arrived at another plateau. She peered down and saw that this one would be easy to get down: all she had to do would be to slide down and let the sand take care of the rest. As she slid down, a cactus snared her arm and left a small cut on it. She hit the bottom and rolled along the stone and got up, she examined the wound and noticed an odd green slime on the edge. As she healed the wound, the green slime remained. When she brushed it off, she noticed the skin that it had touched was raw.

* * *

Jak looked around as he summoned a ball of Red Eco and turned it into fire, illuminating the way around him. A odd pattern of shadows drew his attention and he walked over to it. There appeared to be a elf-made ladder leading down. Jak exchanged a look with Daxter; it appeared they weren't alone, or at the very least someone had been here before. As he walked forward an odd rattling sound caught his attention. It was very hard to tell from all the echoes, but it appeared to be coming from above him. Jak looked up just as a gigantic spider dropped down. He shot at it with Yellow Eco without thinking and watched the legs curl up as it let out a shriek. Examining its fried corpse, Jak saw that it rivaled the ones he had fought in the Spider Caves in size, but it wasn't quite as big. It was pretty close though, Jak thought as he kicked it into a corner and continued on his way, Daxter still in shock over what had happened.

As Jak continued, he looked around and saw something that did not make him feel happy: a skeleton of something that walked on two legs. It was lying on its stomach and one of its arms outstretched. Jak looked around the rest of the room, but did not see anything that resembled a door or exit. He looked back at the skeleton and saw that its finger was pointing directly at a specific part of the wall. Jak examined the stone and part of it crumbled away into his hand. He rubbed the grime in his hand until it was reduced to powder. Jak cracked his knuckles before Channeling a bit of Red Eco into his body and punching as hard as he could at the wall. An explosion did not rock the place, but a giant hole big enough for Jak and Keira to walk through side by side with Samos flying above them. As Jak pulled himself into the new room, he saw that it was significantly more spooky. This effect was due mainly to the small stream of what at a glance appeared to be green slime. Jak decided that he was perfectly content to remain with the assumption and not delve any further into what the strange liquid was. He knew for sure it was not Green Eco, since he could see small skeletons of rats and such in the liquid, and Green Eco would preserve the corpse, making it appear as if were still alive.

Jak crossed the room to a golden symbol of six swirls intertwined. As he walked, the floor underneath him and Jak suddenly went falling down a hole. He quickly flew up and looked down. He was immensely grateful that he had kept his mind about him. The hole led to a pit of Dark Eco, which was swirling about below him. Jak quickly crossed the rest of the chamber and arrived at the symbol. Jak placed his hand on it and turned it. As the symbol was pun around a door hidden next to it was opened and Jak let go of the symbol. The emblem spun in the opposite direction and the door began to close. Jak dived underneath the closing entry and barely got across without becoming a two-dimensional entity. Jak looked up and saw white circles on the ground. Feeling that they could be nothing good, Jak walked across the chamber, careful to avoid them. Inevitably, his foot landed on one and a white hand attached to a milky arm shot out of the ground and grabbed him on the shoulder. Jak stepped back and his foot landed on another circle. More hands sprouted out of the ground like odd plants and soon Jak was fighting them off furiously as they grasped his legs, his feet, arms, and neck. As he struggled, Jak heard a scream and struggled to turn around. What he saw made his blood boil; Daxter had been seized and was being handed from one hand to another.

* * *

Margaret shot a beam of Yellow Eco at the wild animal that had attacked her. As it roared in pain as one of its legs were cut off, Margaret shot another massive beam and blew it away. As it died, the beast let out a horrible shriek, so loud that the female Channeler covered her ears and screwed up her eyes, as if that would make it more bearable. A small rumbling made her look around. Small stones rattled around on the floor as they bounced around. An echoing howl made her look up. Margaret's eyes widened in fear before she turned around and started sprinting away. An entire herd of buffalo identical to the one she had just killed was charging her. A backwards glance showed that her efforts were not working, and that they were quickly catching up to her. Thinking quickly, Margaret flipped on her Blue Eco Box and began running even faster.

As she turned around to look at her progress once again, Margaret became fearful. She had not pulled away from the rampaging buffalo, but at least they had not gained on her either. A twenty-foot leap forward, however, quickly changed that. Margaret looked back and saw that by leaping, she would be able to get a lead on the animals. Unfortunately, she landed wrong once and twisted her ankle. As her leg crumpled to the ground, the buffalo caught up to her. Margaret saw the situation she was in and quickly stood up.

Just in time to get hit in the chest by the head of the lead buffalo.

As the air rushed out of her chest, Margaret was basically carried by the head buffalo as it continued on its path. Her body went limp and she crumpled to the ground. The momentum of the speed she had been traveling in worked against her by making her roll along with the herd. Such a curse quickly turned into a blessing.

Since she was rolling downhill, her body was constantly moving, making it very difficult for the buffalo to actually step on her. As it was, when they lifted their feet they nudged her quite gently along. Getting hit in the same spot produced a nasty bruise, but it was much better than being trampled to death. As the herd passed her, Margaret lay in the dust of the Gale Canyon, gasping for breath and crying with the pain. As her body healed, she composed herself and weakly stood up. She looked around and saw that it was only noon, she had a long day as of yet ahead of her. She glanced at her compass and noticed that she had been heading straight north all the time. In order to compensate for it, she would have to travel directly west to come out where she wanted. Margaret sighed before shouldering her backpack again and continuing on her merry little way.

* * *

Jak fought feverishly to get to his Yellow Eco Box and he hit the switch. He spread his arms as Yellow Eco coursed over them and burned the flesh of the dead hands. He shot a scythe of Yellow Eco and cut the hand of the arm that currently had Daxter. The rat fell to the floor with an oomph. Jak flew into the air and dodged more of the hands. He summoned a large ball of Yellow Eco and flew down until he was about two feet above the ground. The ball expanded until it resembled a disk, cutting through the arms. As the severed limbs fell to the floor, Jak recalled the Eco and scooped up his friend. He flew them across the room and simply slammed his body through the next door, keen to get out of this horrible place.

* * *

Margaret sat under a giant boulder, eager to get some rest. As she took a long drink of water from her backpack she stood up, her hands ready to switch on her Eco Boxes. A sudden tremor had shaken the floor of the Canyon, and birds had taken off from their nests. Margaret watched this with a feeling of unease: animals were much more in tuned with nature than elves were.

Another tremor caused her to lose her balance and she stumbled. To her dismay, nature picked that point to have a particularly strong blast of wind blow across the plateau she was on and knock her off. Margaret screamed as she plummeted through the air, the ground getting closer and closer by the second. She wished she could fly like Jak, but her powers were limited due to the fact she was an Amplifier. As the floor got closer and closer, her life began flashing across her eyes. She saw herself first learning how to ride a bike, meeting her friend Meredith, graduating school, and meeting her boyfriend George. As the ground got so close that her shadow became sharpened around the edges, she prepared to kiss the dirt and end her existence…

* * *

Jak entered the next room and felt an odd chill in the air. He walked around the small room that was not more that eight feet in diameter. All the walls of the room were merely stone slabs that were blank. Jak turned around to go back into the other nightmarish room and see of he could find another way out of here, but the door had vanished. Jak spun around and summoned a small ball of flames, looking intently at the rock as though hoping words would suddenly appear on it. To his surprise, that was exactly what happened.

"You who wish to escape from the Pit of Nightmares. To escape with your life, you must offer part of it to pass." The inscription on the stone declared. Jak pondered on the possible meanings of this for a moment before the reality of what he had to do sank in.

"Jak? What are you doing?" Daxter asked as he watched his friend summon a small ball of Yellow Eco. He raised it to his hand and Daxter realized what Jak was going to do. "NO!" Jak jumped from the loud sound and the echoes that followed. He looked over at his friend and was surprised to see Daxter's eyes burning with emotion.

"You've sacrificed too much for me so far Jak. Let me sacrifice something for you." Jak smiled softly at his friend before he slashed downwards with the ball of Eco. A small slice of Yellow Eco went right for his hand, aiming to cut it and spill the blood inside on the wall. Daxter moved so quickly that he appeared as nothing more than a blur. Before the blast of Yellow Eco hit Jak, the rodent put his body in front of it and hissed as the Eco sliced through his chest and drew a small amount of blood. He stuck his hand over the wound in his torso and drew it back after it had become saturated with blood. He weakly turned around and smeared it on the stone, which melted away. Jak watched all of this unfold in a sort of trance. When his brain snapped back to reality, he realized his friend was lying on the floor, slowly bleeding to death. Jak hastily healed his friend. Daxter offered a weak smile even as he passed out from the blood loss. Jak blinked back tears as he positioned his friend safely on his shoulder.

* * *

Margaret landed with a muffled thump as her body hit something soft and feathery. She opened her eyes and saw she was on a gigantic eagle. The bird turned its head around and gazed at her with a fierce orange eye, but Margaret could sense that this creature meant no harm. As it turned around, Margaret could swear she saw a trace of a smile appear on the bird's beak.

As the eagle soared through the sky, Margaret sat up and spread her arms, reveling in the odd sensation of wind flying through her.

"This must be what Jak feels like when he flies," she thought. "No, it must be better, because he isn't being supported." As the eagle flapped its wings and went higher, Margaret gasped as she saw the Canyon in its entirety. It was truly a beautiful sight with the sun beginning to set. The only was she could describe it was a thousand masterworks of elves wrapped into one.

The gigantic bird set Margaret down and folded its wings. Margaret walked up to it slowly, afraid that any sudden movements would scare it off. She patted the bird's beak a few times and it closed its eyes lazily, as if it enjoyed the sensation. Margaret became bolder and began stroking the beast behind where she thought the ears would be on a normal beast. The eagle bowed its head to her and Margaret thanked the Precursors for making such a beautiful creature, and then sent an additional prayer thanking them for sending the bird along at exactly the right moment.

Theregal bird let out a cry before spreading its massive wings and taking off. Margaret smiled as she watched it fly off into the distance, her heart light and happy once more. A sudden blast of light caught her attention and she immediately summoned two balls of Yellow Eco, ready to attack something that could be potentially dangerous.

* * *

In the next room, Jak was standing on the edge of a great black lake, so vast that that he could not make out the distance banks, in a grotto so high that the ceiling was out of sight as well. A misty yellowish light shone far away in what looked like the middle of the lake. Said light seemed to be coming from a yellow beam in the center of the islet in the middle of the black lake.. Jak summoned two balls of flames to help illuminate the room, but it did not appear to help very much; this darkness seemed to be much denser than normal darkness for some reason. Jak looked around and saw a boat. He looked at it suspiciously before getting in it and shoving off. Almost as if it was drawn by a magnet positioned at the land in the middle, the boat shot off for it.

Daxter looked over the edge of the boat. He retched, grabbed Jak's shoulder, and shook. Jak looked over to his friend who could only make squeaky sounds as he pointed to the water. Jak peered in and his reaction was very similar to Daxter's.

Hovering just below the surface of the water were dead elves. Countless bodies littered the depths, their eyes misted over and staring. Their white skin was outstretched as they reached for the two crossing the lake. Suddenly the boat landed on the island in the middle and Jak and Daxter looked up. A hole with sunlight streaming through it was in the center of the ceiling. Jak looked over at the lake and was shocked to see that the zombies were heading for him. He hastily retreated into the circle of light, activated his Blue Eco Box, and took off. As he rose, one hand grabbed him and began to pull him back down with a deceptive amount of strength. Jak threw the two balls of fire he was still holding at the zombie and it released him at once.

Jak flew up and landed on the canyon floor. He looked up at a gasp and was surprised to see Margaret standing only a few feet away from him, two Yellow Eco balls summoned in her hands. They looked at each other for a second before Margaret put her weapons away and helped him up. They continued on their way as Daxter told her all of the nightmares they had been through. At last, at long last they arrived at the entrance to The City of the Sky. Jak sighed in amazement and heard Margaret and Daxter do the same as they looked at the city in all of its glory.

* * *

Wow, I actually updated on a Saturday again. Maybe I'll be able to go back to my old routine (crosses fingers and prays to nothing and everything in particular). Hey, sorry this is so short. Please forgive me by not hurting me, or sending me flames. Or at least not too many, since I can use one or two to roast marshmallows. Thanks to all who review, and for those who don't, I hope I haven't traumatized you too badly with this horrendous writing. So feel free to ask me a question, give me an idea (PLEASE!), or just tell me what you think of me adding a ninth Channeler into the mix. Well, technically, it's the eleventh, but those two haven't had their powers revealed yet. Well, actually, one of them won't discover his or her power for a couple of years. Anyway, just let me know what you think of this. Or at the very least, shake your heads and feel sorry for me because I will never be able to write anything good. See you next week. Oh, and if you want a visual picture of the staff (sorry about the really lame name I gave it), just let me know and I'll email you a picture.

* * *

My Top Five Favorite Fanfictions. (They are listed alphabetically, not by preference.)

1. Risen Demon by Red Mage 04

2. Surge by Amathist Fwirrel

3. The Jak and Daxter Prank War by animedragongirl

4. The Sage's Legacy by Light-Eco-Sage

5. War of the Ancients by Red Mage 04

* * *

Quote of the week- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Movie)

Ron Weasley: Why spiders? Why couldn't it be 'follow the butterflies'?


	26. Preparations

This is a response to the reviews. I emailed them to you, but in case there is something wrong with your email system, here they are.

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animedragongirl- Take as long as you want to catch up, god only knows how long I took to review The Jak and Daxter Prank Wars. Not having time is perfectly understandable considering all the work you have, what with coming up with masterpieces and editing War of the Ancients. You're quite welcome for getting on my list of favorite fan fictions, but it is your own doing. Until your writing becomes horrible (impossible) or until someone else becomes funnier than you (equally impossible) you will remain there. I honestly stretched out the boat and desert scenes as long as I could. As for Hatu and Wartstal waking up randomly, they had been fighting for consciousness to let Jak and Keira know they were all right. Once they had managed that, they collapsed from a combination of exhaustion and partial and potential hypothermia. As to the Gale Canyon, I swear on the grave of my deceased grandfather that I did NOT take that from Harry Potter. When I drew up the total plot summary back in February, when Jak made it to the Gale canyon with his companion (I hadn't decided on the gender yet), they would be separated and Jak would have to sail across a lake full of dead people. Near the end, I need to insert three more Channelers, and since you and Red Mage 04 are my longest correspondents, I was wondering if you would like to be one. If not, then I'll probably just pick some random names from a hat. Your email was received, and you shall become a Converter. Your name will be Liz, as requested. All I need is a physical description of what you WANT to look like, not necessarily what you do look like.

Red Mage 04- I honestly don't care when you review it, the fact that two such esteemed writers read my drek gives me that warm fuzzy feeling inside. Sorry about the beginning, I had a bit of writers block and it was honestly the best I could come up with. I have no idea what a Sue is, unless you mean I inserted myself. I want to, except I can't, because I would want to be an Adaptor, and I can't do that. Yay! Fuzzy rodents dying a horrible and painful death! Sorry, I'm a little high off of sugar. Please get back to me on whether or not you would like to be inserted, and no, you will not die. At least not by the hands of another elf. Obviously aging and a certain invasion will probably kill your character off. Let me know what you think, and I do hope that you enjoy this next chapter.

Keeroshu- Yay! My original reviewer. I was afraid I had scared you off with my horrible writing skills. I don't care that you haven't reviewed me in a while now that your back. Its like seeing my friends again. Uh, the battles, I can't help but make them long. I have a thought that Jak is a fighter, and should act like one. As such, his confrontations are frequent and long. If it makes you feel any better, it won't always be him fighting. Yea, it _is_ ironic that Jak has a communicator and can't talk. And why on earth would I give Daxter an easy time. You crazy. Lol. Let me know what the group fic, because I would love to read it. Thank you for giving me that shot of confidence; I still think I can do much better than this dribble. Glad to know you're coming back, I missed Colle and Jak. School. Boooooooooooooo!

Disclaimer: I do not own this franchise, just anything that my sick mind has cooked up in this horrible story.

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Preparations

"Wow," Jak thought as he gazed at the city he had traveled through the Gale Canyon to see. He heard Daxter and Margaret each exhale a similar phrase of wonderment.

The City of the Sky was called such for a reason. The cit itself looked normal, with a multitude of normal sized houses and a few flashy and tall buildings here and there. What made it different from every other civilization Jak had seen so far was it was in the air. It was not connected to the ground in any way. The bottom of the town was covered in massive pieces of Precursor technology. Jak put his goggles down and zoomed in on the bottom.

With a grin, Jak imagined Keira's expression if she ever has to see those wondrous pieces of equipment.

A majority of the bottom of the city was covered in pieces of machinery that were pulsating slightly and giving off a faint blue glow. Jak assumed that it was an antigravitational form of energy. For the briefest second, Jak felt disappointed: he had always thought that Keira's A-Grav Zoomer was an original idea. It appeared that the Precursors had not only thought about making things go against gravity, but also making the objects considerably larger. The one feeling of disenchantment passed as Jak realized that Keira was making things almost on par with the Precursors. True, she had made an engine that simply spun a fan around so fast that it was able to support a one hundred and fifty pound piece of machinery and another hundred pounds, give or take fifteen due to weight.

Jak wondered how the elves that were the inhabitants of the city managed to keep maintenance on those pieces of apparatuses. There obviously was some kind of facility, but what kind. And more importantly, did those facilities give tours. Jak thought how Keira would react if he managed to get her inside one of those factories for a closer look at the levitation technology. Jak immediately made it his goal to give it a try, if it made Keira happy and didn't hurt her, he was happy with her doing it, and would be even happier if he knew that he was the one that had made her happy.

Jak wondered if it was his imagination, the fact that Gol was the Sage governing the city, a trick of the light, or merely the fact that night was fast approaching, but it appeared that a dark cloud hung over the town. Jak thought it might be the last; after all, September was halfway over. This was the time of the year when it started to get darker outside much earlier and quicker than it did in July and August. A small amount of apprehension caught up with Jak: they were now _in_ Gol and Maia's territory. He would be very surprised if they did not know that he and his friends had made it to The City of the Sky. Jak fully expected to not be welcomed by the inhabitants or at least deal with a Lurker invasion when he was in the town. After all, he had been at attacked at almost every place he had gone to so far, so why should this one place be any different.

As Jak looked closer at the bottom of the technological wonder that was floating about five hundred feet in the air, he noticed that there were circles that were not glowing. He wondered if they were sections of the city that had become malfunctioned or damaged somehow, or whether the parts were being replaced or cleaned. As one of them began to glow a brilliant red, Jak quickly threw that fancy right out the window. He put his hands on his belt, ready to defend himself should the light prove to be some kind of defensive mechanism or the town (or Gol, as Jak thought much more likely) was attacking him.

A beam of yellow light shot right for them. Jak relaxed; he had seen Yellow Eco used enough by now to recognize it and regular light. He let the light hit him and Margaret and was surprised to feel his skin go cold as the light made contact with his body. His hair, his face, his entire body felt like it had been dunked in ice-cold water. He closed his eyes and shivered, hearing Daxter chatter his teeth together.

A sudden blast of hot air made him open his eyes again. E was surprised at the massive change of surroundings. He was now in a wooden room with ventilation shafts. Said shafts were blasting out hot air that felt very soothing to Jak's frigid skin.

"Sensation takes some getting used to, I'll give you that, but after a few times your used to it," a jovial voice said from behind him. Jak spun around and saw a large beefy face with a red, round face that was currently smiling. He gave a powerful impression of a Santa Claus in Jak's mind. Jak heard a body fall to the ground behind him and looked to see Margaret sitting on the ground, her body shivering. He looked at the man imploringly and pointed to her, but he just laughed again. Jak began to glare at him; his friend might be dying of hypothermia and this man was laughing.

As if he had read Jak's thoughts, the man spoke again. "Don't worry lad, she's not in any danger. All the teleportation does is freeze your skin, but her internal organs are as heated as ever. She'll warm up in no time, but it varies from person to person. Bring her to the Teleportation Recuperative Hospital if she's still cold by eight o'clock." Jak nodded, not really having any clue what was going on, and being helpless to ask. Fortunately, his diminutive friend asked the question for him.

"What in the name of all that is holy are you talking about?" This statement simply provoked a chuckle from the large man. His jolliness was beginning to irritate Jak, something that he would have never thought possible.

"Relax. Look, she's coming around now," he said as he pointed to her. Jak spun around and saw that the man was right, Margaret's body had stopped shivering and she was standing up. Jak held out his hand and she accepted it gratefully. As he helped her up, the man behind them grabbed two clipboards and handed them to each of them. Jak looked at it and saw he had to fill out a chart stating his name, age, where he was from, etc.

Jak thought quickly. Stating who he really was would be as good as a death sentence in this town, so he would have to lie. He quickly scrawled across the bottom, "I'm John and your Mary. Were friends from Rock Village and we decided to travel abroad." She nodded and filled out the corresponding information. As they finished, the two elves handed it back to the man, who took them cheerfully and scanned them into some kind of glass screen with writing on it.

"Okay, that'll do it. I have only three questions. Do you have a relative living here?" Jak shook his head no. "Have you ever been to another civilization?"

"Of course. We're not hermits," Margaret said, and understandable twitch of annoyance in her voice.

"All right. Do you agree to live and behave here as if you were living some where else?"

"Yes we do." Daxter interjected.

"All right then. Welcome to our fair City of the Sky!" The man boomed as he opened a door and pushed them into a throng of others.

Jak breathed deeply as they walked down the street. He wasn't quite used to the thin air up here and there was a noticeable difference. Jak saw that this town obviously lived off of economy, considering there were venders and stores everywhere. Staring around, Jak realized that he would need a place to stay if he didn't want to have Keira uncomfortable. He looked in at a modest looking hotel, thinking he might be able to get a room in exchange for doing some chores. As he walked through the doors, alarms suddenly went off and sirens started wailing. Jak immediately took a combat stance, ready for the unexpected.

Or so he thought.

Confetti started streaming down from the ceiling, thoroughly bewildering Jak. He looked around as party music started playing and a man in a fancy suit approached him.

"Congratulations my dear sir. By an enormous stroke of luck, you were the one-millionth person to walk in this year. As your prize, you win the Sixteen Number Combo."

Jak stared.

"What this means is you get any number of people in our best room for a certain amount of days; so long as the number of people other than you and number of days you all stay (when multiplied) equal sixteen." Jak and Margaret looked at each other before grinning simultaneously. Margaret spoke up.

"Can we have a room for four days?"

"Certainly, as long as a maximum of four people, other than this fine gentleman," here the man inclined his head to Jak, "accompany him."

"Hang on a second please." Margaret said politely before dragging Jak backwards.

"What do we do? How will we explain Wartstal and Hatu?" She whispered urgently. Jak simply shrugged- he hadn't thought of a way either. He suddenly was hit by a brainwave: they would simply let them in through the Warp Gate at night. He smiled and nodded at Margaret. She took this as he had a plan. She turned around with a smile and told the man that that would be their arrangement and that the others would be arriving later that day by Warp Gate.

"Do you have a Warp Gate in the hotel?"

"Yes we do, but we are not allowed to activate it, by order of Master Akaron." Jak and Margaret looked at each other grimly, knowing that their suspicions were correct. Gol knew they were either coming, or he knew that they were here. Jak and Margaret went up to their room. Apprehensive though he was at the current situation, Jak could appreciate the beauty of the room.

A kitchen was the first thing that greeted them. Connected to the kitchen was a bathroom with a door and an open large room. Jak assumed this was the living room as he walked into it and looked at the fine rug on the ground and the comfortable looking furniture. Three bedrooms were attached to the living room, all of which had a bed for two that could be separated into two twin beds and a private bathroom complete with a shower and sink. Jak laid down on the bed with a sigh of relief. They would have to find another way to transport Keira, Hatu and Wartstal, but until then Jak intended to clean himself up. Before he went into the shower of the room he decided would be his, Daxter commented on how the bed looked like it was made for just him and Keira. Jak turned red as Daxter thought (quite loudly) at whether or not Keira would mind sharing a bed with Jak. Margaret gasped at Daxter's perverseness and smacked him. Jak simply continued to turn red as he thought of sleeping in the same bed with Keira. The thought of the two of them being together for hours on end seemed quite appealing, but it wouldn't be appropriate for him and Keira to sleep next to each other, since they were different genders.

Daxter pried himself off of the wall and speculated aloud whether Jak and Keira would get any sleep if they slept together, or whether the other people of the hotel would either. This comment only provoked more of Margaret's indignant anger, and he once again found himself smacking into a wall. This statement only caused confusion in Jak's mind. He wondered what he and Keira could do together that would keep them and everyone else awake. He shook his head at Daxter as he went into the shower. Halfway through scrubbing he heard a smack, followed by some vibrations that made him look outside. Daxter was lying in the bed, sleeping. Jak put on a pair of pants along with a shirt, thinking he had merely imagined the sound. That notion was quickly dismissed when he heard a girl scream. He ran towards the scream coming from Margaret's room and saw her on a chair. Below her was a wild Kanga-Rat. Jak began to shake with laughter as he watched her panic and scream again as the harmless rodent scurried around the room. Jak scooped it up and walked over to a window. He looked down and dropped the Kanga-Rat, knowing that it would land on a large pile of clothing. He shook his head as he turned around and looked at Margaret, astonished that she could be so afraid of such a small, not to mention completely harmless, creature.

"Don't say it Jak," Margaret warned. "Don't even _think_ it." Jak gave her an innocent look before his face split into an evil grin. Margaret groaned, knowing she hadn't heard the last of this incident.

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"My Master, Jak and his company have reached your fair city," Benedict said as he bowed before Gol.

"I see he has brought an Amplifier with him," Gol mused to himself. "Very well Torqueo. You may go."

"Yes, my Master," Torqueo said as he rose from his bow, never raising his eyes and exiting the room. Maia walked in and Torqueo sank into another low bow. Maia simply told him to rise and be on his way. As Torqueo quickly left the room, Maia closed the door and looked at her older brother.

"Jak has brought an Amplifier with him," she said without as much as a word of preliminaries.

"I am well aware of this fact," Gol replied smoothly.

"Can she be turned?"

"Perhaps. The lure of the power that we have will be a powerful key in seducing her into our ways," Gol responded. He fell silent, thinking of arguments he could use to turn the new Channeler into another apprentice.

"With an Adaptor and an Amplifier, our forces would be hard to defeat," Maia said.

"You are right, dear sister. I think I shall pay our new friend a visit soon," Gol said as he smiled. To any onlooker, it was a smile that was devoid of any kindness.

"Yes, our new friend will be within our power very soon," Gol cackled as he walked over to a screen. The face of the usher that had welcomed Jak appeared on it. The man immediately sank into bow.

"You can dispense with the pleasantries. I need to know if a man a woman and an n orange rodent entered your hotel today."

"They did indeed, Lord Akaron. Shall I have them removed?"

"No. Have they requested to use the Warp Gate?"

"As a matter of fact, they have."

"Let them."

"Yes my Lord," the man said before bowing and going to inform Jak that he was allowed to use the Warp Gate.

"Brother, why did you so that?" Maia asked, a small amount of confusion present in her voice.

"Simple. I want Jak and his companions' moral to be at their highest before I crush them. They deserve to suffer for not embracing the darkness within." Gol said as an insane smile made its way onto his face.

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"Excuse me sir?" the usher called as he knocked on the door of Jak's suite. Jak opened the door and stood aside, indicating that the man was welcome to come in. "No thank you. I do not wish to disturb you, but Lord Akaron has just informed me that you are allowed exclusive use of the Warp Gate." Jak's eyes widened in disbelief and his jaw dropped.

"Lord… Akaron said this?" Margaret asked feebly, knowing enough to feign respect for the insane man that ran this town.

"Yes indeed ma'am. He said that only you could do it."

"This is… such an unexpected… honor," Margaret said as she smiled and thanked the man. After he left she dragged Jak inside and closed the door.

"What does he mean by this? He knows we are working to destabilize him." Margaret said. Jak agreed that this was a suspicious move on Gol's part, but they had to take advantage of it. If he could just get Keira, Hatu and Wartstal through the Warp Gate, they would have a decent chance of victory. Jak weighed the chances of this being a trap against the odds of what his chances were without his friends.

The risk of being separated was too great. Jak would have no choice but to try to link up with Keira. He went downstairs and saw that the room with the Warp Gate was deserted. Far from alleviating Jak's apprehension, all it did was make him feel more nervous. Jak ran to the Warp Gate and activated it. He dived through., expecting the worst.

To his surprise, Jak landed in Potentia's hut. He looked around for Keira's room. He spotted it and knocked urgently. Keira emerged, looking surprised to see Jak.

"Jak! What are you doin' here?" She asked. Jak shook his head before running to his room and throwing some clothes into his backpack. He pointed to Keira, who understood that he was trying to tell her to get ready as soon as possible.

"Gimme two minutes Jak," Keira called as she began packing.

After getting Hatu and Wartstal, Jak looked in on Keira, who had a backpack slung over her head and was carrying a box of something. Jak took the box out of her hands, not roughly, and motioned for her to go through the Warp Gate. Hatu and Wartstal followed her and Jak went through last. He hastily set the box down and shut down the Warp Gate. Jak hurried everyone to their room, and only when they were safely behind the door and out of view did he let out a sigh of relief.

"Jeez Jak, what was the big hurry?" Keira asked as she took her backpack off.

"He was rushing you guys because Gol was the one who gave us permission to let you guys through," Margaret said as she emerged from her room.

"Gol!" Keira exclaimed.

"Our sentiments exactly," Margaret said dryly.

"Why would he do such a thing? He knows that we are a powerful group." Keira wondered aloud.

"I don't know," Margaret said.

"I think I do," Wartstal said quietly. Nevertheless, he may as well have shouted it, since everyone turned to look at him and order him with their eyes to explain.

"It's simple. Gol is too proud of his power to even consider the possibility that we might win. My guess is that he wants your morale and emotions to be at their highest before he decimates us. Is an emotional tactic. Get the enemy's morale up as high as you can before crushing them and the emotional blow you deal them will be much worse." Jak nodded at Wartstal's explanation; it made sense. A loud grumbling suddenly caused the grim mood to quickly dissipate. The group looked around for the source of the sound before their eyes settled on Daxter.

"What? I'm hungry." The entire group laughed.

"I thin that's the cue to eat," Hatu chortled as he walked into the kitchen and pulled out some food. The group enjoyed heated up mashed potatoes and warmed Yakow. They discussed how long they should wait before assaulting the Citadel, and how exactly they should do such a thing.

"I say we wait the four days we have in this hotel," Wartstal said as he helped himself to some more mashed potatoes. "I figure that we deserve tomorrow off. The day after that, we should probably try to see of anyone would like to help us fight Gol. Convincing them will probably take another day in itself. The fourth day we should spend stocking up on supplies and such. And then we attack on the fifth day."

"Good idea brother," Hatu said. The others gave a general murmur of agreement. Jak yawned and stretched. He waved goodnight to everyone before snatching Daxter by the tail as the said rodent tried to sneak into Keira and Margaret's room.

Jak woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. He went into the shower and turned on the hot water. He took his clothes of and stepped into the shower. As the hot water hit his skin, Jak hissed. The heat felt very welcoming to his tired and stiff muscles. After a good five minutes, Jak felt as good as new. He stepped out of the shower and put on a simple outfit: tan shorts and a bright yellow shirt that was slightly small on him, but still fit. As he walked into the kitchen, Jak decided it would be nice if he made breakfast for everyone else as well. Jak put a pan on the stove and turned it one. As he beat the sixteen eggs for scrambled eggs, Jak debated on bringing Keira (and everyone else) breakfast while they were in bed. He quickly decided against it, deciding that doing so would make it obvious to all that he had deep feelings for Keira. As he put the eggs in the pan, Jak began cutting up fruit. He finished slicing just as the eggs were done.

After putting the eggs in a bowl and covering them to keep them warm, Jak went to go wake everyone up. It appeared he didn't have to, however. Daxter, Hatu, Wartstal and Margaret came out of their rooms sniffing the air. As they sat down, Jak realized Keira wasn't present. Trying not to appear as if he was bursting with curiosity, Jak tapped Margaret on the shoulder and pointed to Keira's empty seat. After swallowing her mouthful of egg, Margaret answered him.

"She's still sleeping. She told me to leave her alone when I tried to wake her up before. You should get her before there's no food left." Jak nodded and walked over to Keira's room. He knocked on the door and walked in when there was no response. Keira's bed was empty, but there was the sound of water running from the bathroom. The door opened and Keira strode out in her sleeping clothes.

Jak stopped and stared, quite openly, at Keira's choice of attire as she did the same to him. Jak could not help It, even though she was only wearing a tee shirt and a pair of white baggy shorts, she made it look so… alluring. Her creamy legs were exposed up to about three inches above her knee. Jak could see the smooth hairless skin with hard muscle underneath. The arms were soft as well, with no hair on it. Jak stood still as his eyes devoured her form, going from her arms back to her legs before settling on her face. That adorable, heart-shaped cherub face. Jak loved every inch of it, her full lips, rosy cheeks, the two locks of hair that circled the outer rim of her face, the ears that poked out just right from her face, all of it. Lastly, Jak looked at her eyes and once again felt himself get lost in those green pools. As she blinked, Jak inwardly groaned at the loss of her beautiful eyes, and rejoiced when she opened them again.

Keira gulped as her eyes took on a life of their own as they looked up and down the form of Jak. His legs, toned and smooth, yet having the muscle definition stand out, drew her gaze first. He had just the smallest amount of hair on them, a sign that his body was beginning to change into an adults. As she looked up, she saw that the shirt he was wearing was very snug, meaning she got a free look at his smooth chest. He was for the most part very lean, but his chest showed that he was not weak. Even through his shirt, Keira could tell it was hard as a rock. His arms looked harmless, but Keira could see the hard muscle on his arm. As she looked up and down his athletic form, she could not detect a trace of undesirable fat. His boyish face still had some baby fat, but in Keira's opinion that just made Jak look even better. His normally white skin was now tan with all the sun he had been exposed to the sun. As she looked at his lips, Keira licked her own. She looked at his eyes at the same instant he looked into hers. She gazed deeply into his azure gaze as he stared into hers.

Both elves turned red as they slowly walked towards each other, a mutual understanding of what they were going to do being sent through the air. Jak looked down at Keira, affection apparent in every one of his features. Keira looked at Jak with fondness practically radiating off her body. Jak lowered his mouth just as Keira stood up on her tiptoes and brought her lips up.

"Hey guys, come in before the food disappears. We're trying to stop Daxter from taking it all before you…" Margaret's voice trailed off as she looked in on the scene. Jak and Keira were separated from each other, their faces redder than tomatoes and both staring at the ground. Margaret realized what she had just interrupted and feebly backed out of the room, muttering an apology. Jak and Keira looked at each other and came to an agreement that the mood that had just possessed them once more was gone. Without a word, Keira followed Jak back to the table. They said nothing and didn't look up as they ate, albeit halfheartedly.

After breakfast, Margaret said she was going to go up on the roof to train. Keira said that she and Jak had agreed that they would go into town and see if they could pass the Staff of Spirits into the hands of a charity. After throwing Jak a look, Keira looked over at Margaret as she said this, knowing how important the staff was to her, but Margaret merely shrugged and said that the legend about a man with strong spiritual powers unlocking the Staff's potential was probably just that- a legend.

"You should sell it: it would be good to have a little more than the bare minimum of a stash of Precursor Orbs." Jak nodded as Keira gave a verbal affirmation.

"I guess we'll stay here and make sure no one breaks in," Hatu said as he stretched out on the couch.

Jak grabbed the Staff of Spirits and allowed Daxter to get on his shoulder before he met up with Keira at the door.

"Wow Jak. Usually the guys waits for the girl to show up," Keira teased good-naturedly. Jak stuck his tongue out at her and the two of them enjoyed making faces at each other the entire time they walked through the hotel, stopping when Jak held the door open for Keira as she walked with the Staff outside into The City of the Sky.

Margaret took what the man behind the desk called an "elevator." It was a wooden crate with buttons. When she pushed the one entitled roof, the entire contraption began moving up. When it finally stopped and the twin doors opened, Margaret threw herself through, eager to get out of the strange box. She watched as the "elevator" sank back into the ground, leaving a wooden square over the hole it had made.

Margaret shook her head to get the hair out of her face before stretching her limbs. Previous training sessions had taught her the hard way that working out without stretching was asking to sprain a muscle. She surrounded her hands with Yellow Eco and began sparring with imaginary opponents, getting used to not bringing her hands too close to her body.

Jak and Keira walked down the streets with Daxter perched on Jak's shoulder. He had first tried to sit on Keira and stare at certain parts of her body but a quick smack from her and a warning glance had made him move to the shoulder that was further away from Keira.

"Wow. I have never seen this much crap in one place since that time the traveling caravan from the south came to visit." Jak smirked; leave it to Daxter to word it so eloquently. As they paused at some stalls that had been set up, Jak looked around for a gift for Daxter. His birthday was next month, and Jak didn't want the poor guy to get nothing for his birthday. It was bad enough that he had to spend it as a rat, unless by some miracle Gol was turned back to normal and agreed to fix Daxter's problem.

Keira shared along Jak's line of thinking. She was trying to find something for her friend. No matter how perverted he got, how much he pissed her off, how much he insinuated that she should get with him over Jak, Daxter had always been there for her. She mentally rolled her eyes at a thought of what Daxter _really_ wanted but she couldn't give him that. She wanted to give her first kiss to Jak.

Jak saw an ornament of a fairly attractive female elf in a skirt and top made out f grass that danced as it moved. Figuring his friend would get a kick out of it, Jak held it up so the man running the store could tell him how much it was. As the man opened his mouth to tell Jak the price, a scream drowned out his voice. Jak looked to his left to see Keira struggling with a large man that was attempting to take the Staff of Spirits from her. As Jak struggled through the throng that had mysteriously appeared, the man yelled for Keira to get off and he picked her up before throwing her into the surrounding crowd. Jak felt relief: Keira was safe now. He muscled his way through and walked up to the man.

"If you wanna keep all your limbs, you best back off _boy_." the man snarled. Jak glared back as he took a step forward. The man swung the Staff at Jak, who ducked. As the man brought the Staff over his head, Jak lunged forward and socked him right in the nose. As the man went reeling back, Jak kicked him in the chest.

Jak turned around to see how Keira was doing and panicked when he saw her being grabbed by a man. His fear that they were going to hurt her were quickly proven wrong, as the man holding her was merely holding her. Jak relaxed as he saw the man lower her unconscious form to the ground. He paid dearly for this distraction with a punch in the jaw. As Jak took a step back from the blow, the man reeled back and Jak knew he was going to be hit again. Unfortunately, he was dizzy from the initial blow and was unable to do anything to prevent it.

The blow never came.

Jak opened his eyes and saw that his adversary had a two-foot sword sticking out of his chest. Blood was pouring down his chest and the sword. Jak looked with revulsion as the man's heart- still beating- fell from the tip of the blade and hit the floor with a sickening smack. Jak watched the sword get pulled out and his eyes widened in horror as the owner of the blade, a Lurker Troll, licked the blood. Two more appeared and began to terrorize the village. People began running around screaming. Jak ducked as a blow came in that would have separated his head from his shoulders. He lunged forward and landed on the Troll's head. He turned on his Red Eco Box and…

… Realized that he had left it at the hotel. Jak was swatted off the head and slammed into a wall. He struggled to his feet and bared his teeth at his foes.

"Back demons!" A man shouted as he slammed a staff into the Troll's face. Surprisingly, the Troll let out a wail as the staff smashed his skull in. The man wielding it looked equally surprised at the efficiency of the staff. As another Troll charged the man spun around and slashed. The rod sliced right through the Troll's body, causing an almost comical affect as the body slid down the cut and crumpled to the floor. As the final one went in, Jak watched in astonishment as the man jabbed the flat end of the staff into the chest of the Troll and it simply went right through one end and out the other. The man shook the staff to get the blood off and walked over to Jak.

"I believe this is yours," the man said. Jak looked closer at the Staff: it was indeed the Staff of Spirits. It had changed beyond recognition. The gold had melted away to reveal an artifact made of Precursor metal. There were patterns on it like everything else the Precursors made, and like the ones one the bomb Jak had held on Misty Island about four months ago, they were glowing. Unlike when Jak touched the bomb, the colors were mixing from red, to green, then blue, purple and yellow, white and then back to red. Jak was puzzled slightly at the white part; what on Weyard was that supposed to mean?

"Sir? Is this yours?" the man asked again. Jak took a look at the man. He was taller than Jak by an inch or so, with a light complexion and purple eyes. Unlike Dark Eco, his eyes were full of warmth and kindness. He had spiky black hair that stuck straight up, but it was nowhere near as long as Jak's. In the back he had a small ponytail. Jak held up a finger indicating for the man to wait a moment. He ran over to Keira and roused her. As she surveyed the destruction, she looked at Jak.

"Did you do this?" Jak shook his head and pointed to the man. "He did this?" Keira whispered. Jak nodded as they walked over to him.

"Thanks, er…"

"My name is Kumiro," the man said. Jak took the staff back out of the Kumiro's hand and immediately the staff went dead. Jak handed it back to Kumiro and immediately it lit up again. Jak let go of the staff and backed off, saying the staff was now his.

"Oh no, I couldn't accept this."

"Did you save Jak from the Trolls?" Keira asked.

"Well, in a manner of speaking, but-"

"Did you kill the Trolls?"

"Yes but-"

"Did you save the town."

"I drove off the Trolls, but that's hardly the -"

"Then the staff is yours." Keira said with an air of finality. Kumiro opened his mouth to protest, but Keira stared him down.

A sudden blast caught everyone's attention. Jak saw, with a feeling of foreboding, that it was coming from the hotel where they were staying. Keira said good-bye quickly before joining Jak in an attempt to get there. Kumiro hesitated for a second, but eventually joined them, wondering if there was trouble, and hoping he would be able to help if there was.

* * *

"Damn!" Margaret said aloud as she tried to form her Yellow Eco into a sword as she had seen Jak do so often. "I just can't get the hang of it! How can I learn how to make an Eco Blade?"

"Well that is simple. I could teach you abilities and powers the likes of which you have never seen before." A raspy voice said. Margaret instantly spun around and summoned two balls of Yellow Eco. When she saw that it was Gol Akaron (Keira had described him in detail) she increased the size of the balls. Gol raised his hand. "I have no wish to have to destroy you, Benedict. I have come here just to talk." Margaret did not lower her hands, but instead pointed them at Gol's chest, directly where his heart should be.

"What on Weyard makes you think I don't have a heart?" Gol asked in a mocking voice.

"You've tried to kill my friends more than a few times, for starters." Margaret snarled. Gol chuckled in response.

"I have not. Maia and Gravis could snuff out your lives in an instant if they really chose to. I have came here to propose to you. Let me teach you how to Channel. With powers like mine, think of all you could do."

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because I would not lie to you."

"Yes you would, you evil creature."

"Good is a point of view, Margaret." A small of her grudgingly admitted that there was some truth to this statement. "Maia, Gravis, Torqueo and I believe in security and justice also, yet we are considered by you and your friends to be…" Gol left the sentence unfinished and looked at Margaret as if to say finish it.

"… evil." Margaret said.

"… From your point of view. We Dark Lords and the Sages are similar in almost every way, including their quest for greater power. The difference between the two is we are not afraid of using emotions as weapons. That is why we are more powerful." Gol said triumphantly.

"You bastards think inward, only about yourselves." Gol raised his eyebrows again.

"And Jak, Wartstal, Keira and Hatu don't?"

"Our quest is selfless… we only care about others." Margaret responded, still wary of a trick. Gol smiled at this statement, almost as if everything in the conversation was going his way.

"Or so you've been trained to believe." Margaret wondered briefly what that meant. "Did you ever hear the tragedy of Plagueis 'the wise'?"

"No." Margaret said hesitantly.

"I thought not. It's not a story your friends would tell you. It's a Dark Sage legend. Plagueis, my master, was a Sage of Dark Eco, so powerful and so wise he could use his power to manipulate Dark Eco to create… life. And that wasn't all. He could even keep the ones he cared about from dying."

"He could actually save people from death?" Margaret asked wondrously, for to stop death was a power to boast of indeed.

"Yes. And what motivated him? _Fear._ Fear of being alone when his sister. Think. If you became my student, you would gain this power. And then you and your boyfriend could live together happily for all eternity." Margaret closed her eyes, trying not to believe him. Try though she did, a small part of her wanted to follow Gol and his promises. Then the image of George surfaced in her mind and she imagined the look on his face if he ever learned of the terrible things she would do.

"No. I won't fall for your tricks Gol. You won't convert me as you did _my brother!_ And I will stop you. Together me and Jak and everyone else will stop you, and we'll pull my brother back from your grip." Gol's eyes narrowed as she let out a blast of Yellow Eco.

As the dust cleared, Margaret stepped back as she saw Gol undamaged. As Gol glared at her, rain clouds began to gather and it began to rain. Gol summoned and Dark Eco Blade and began fighting her. Margaret blocked each of his strikes by coating her hands with Green Eco.

As the fight wore on, images of all that Gol had done played over in Margaret's mind, feeding her anger. She became stronger as her anger spiked and pushed Gol back. Gol smirked as he saw yellow begin to bleed into the irises of her eyes. She distracted him by shooting a beam of Eco into his chest. As he went back, Margaret slowly advanced on him. She glared as she began to blow him away, but a glow on the ground caught her eye. She looked down and was shocked to see her eyes matched Gol's; yellow and black, full of hatred and anger. She sank to her knees, all her emotions turning to despair.

"Am I fated to follow my brother?" she wondered. "No. No! I will not give into this. I will not fight in hatred anymore." She thought as she opened her eyes, dreading what she would see. To her relief, her green eyes were back. Gol roared in anger; his mind trick had not worked and now she would never serve him.

"You could have beaten me," he hissed as he charged a ball of Dark Eco, "but you did not because you are weak. I could have taught you strength. You will not kill me because you fear your destiny. You fear your own power. How ridiculous." Gol finished this statement by blasting Margaret off the roof. She impacted the ground and Gol floated down to her. As he raised his hand to perform the killing blow, a foot planted itself in his back. He spun around and saw Jak glaring at him.

"Fine. Take your girl. She is weak anyhow. When the Silos are opened, I shall fashion a new empire… And take your girl as my Queen," Gol said as his eyes lit up psychotically and focused on Keira, who shuddered. All at once she remembered the feel of his foul hands on her neck and stomach from nearly three and a half months ago.

"Goodbye Jak. I hope to see you soon. I hope for your sake you don't disappoint me." Gol taunted before disappearing with a whip-like crack.

"Was that Master Akaron?" Kumiro asked in disbelief. Jak and Keira looked at each other as Jak hoisted Margaret onto his shoulder. They nodded and agreed to tell Kumiro everything.

Three hours later, one would find Kumiro sitting back on the couch, his face that one of utter disbelief. "I can't believe aster Akaron would do such things. And yet, somehow I know you are all telling the truth." He said weakly. He suddenly stood up.

"Excuse me, but I need time. Time to think what _my_ next move will be. Thank you for the hospitality." Kumiro said as he exited. Jak and Keira looked at each other and sighed. They had been hoping that telling Kumiro everything would help him to go to their side. Jak gave Keira a quick kiss on the forehead before properly thinking about it and went into his room. Ashe collapsed and fell asleep, he wondered about the familiar feeling of darkness he had felt earlier. It had felt just like when Benedict had converted, but then it had faded.

Keira was stunned on the couch. Jak had… kissed her. She began to let out a whoop of glee but caught herself. One reason was she did not want to wake everyone up. The other was she didn't want Jak to think she was angry. All night she re-played the scenario in her mind, as did Jak.

When Jak woke he found a note from Keira explaining that she had gone to a Precursor Artifact Analyzing Facility. Apparently she had taken the gloves with her and was trying to figure out what their properties were.

A knock on the door caused Jak to become wary. He didn't know who might be calling at this hour, and there was every possibility that whoever it was might be hostile. As he opened the door slowly, Jak relaxed. Kumiro came in.

"I've spent some time thinking about it and I have decided. I would like to join you on the assault on Gol's Citadel." Jak smiled; he had been hoping for this. "I see what Gol is trying to do, and I cannot allow him to do it. Though I may be cast out of my home for defying the Sage, so be it. At least my conscience will be clear." Jak smiled warmly at Kumiro and shook his hand welcoming him to the team.

After Kumiro left, Jak enjoyed a sparring session with Margaret for two hours before she left to stock up on supplies. Now that they had such a powerful ally, the group had decided that they would attack tomorrow.

Later that night, Keira came back. She looked utterly exhausted; there were dark circles around her eyes and she wobbled slightly when she walked. As she sat down, she took the gloves out of a metal case.

"I got the case for free. Who am I to turn down free metal?" Keira asked with a flicker of a smile. Jak beamed back at her as he pulled the gloves on. "Okay Jak. On both of them, you se that button like thing in the center of the palm?" Jak inspected his glove and nodded. "Okay, point the glove at the wall and hit that button with your middle and ring fingers." Jak did as he was told and instantly a small cord shot out from under the palm, on the underside of the wrist. As it sped toward the wall, the tip expanded to show four metal points that dug into the wall. Instantly the cord reeled in and became tight.

"That's your new grappling hook. There's one on each glove, so that'll make moving around easier. To reel yourself in or bring whatever you latched yourself to back to you, hit the button the same way. To make the hook come out and come back without dragging you or anyone else around, just hit the tips of your middle and ring fingers with your thumb." Jak did the latter instruction and the cord popped out of the wall and flew back into his wrist.

"The right hand is an Eco magnet. There's something inside that will draw Eco to it when the hand is opened. If you bend your left hand down, then a small saw will come out." Jak did so, but nothing happened. "You have to make a fist." Jak clenched his hand and a small buzz saw in the shape of an oval protruded about six inches out. He flicked his wrist and the saw retracted.

"This last feature is the second most useful I think. Touch all your fingertips together and watch what happens." Jak touched the opposite fingertips and they began to glow red. "Now stick them to anything and you'll stick. This'll make climbing walls a snap." Jak flexed the fingers on the gloves and stuck the fingertips back together, deactivating the adhesive function. He put the gloves alongside his armor and backpack he had stuffed full of dried fruits and nuts and water. He smiled at Keira before embracing her. Keira hugged him back fiercely, scared that after tonight she might never see her again.

"You be careful tomorrow Jak," she whispered. Jak broke away from her and spread his arms as if to say, this is me we're talking about. Keira chuckled as she gave him one last hug before going into her room and getting some well-deserved sleep.

Jak, on the other hand, was wide-awake. He knew he had to sleep, for tomorrow would demand every ounce of cunning he possessed. He finally fell asleep three hours later.

Surprisingly, Jak woke up feeling refreshed. He got out of bed quietly so as not to disturb Daxter: he didn't want his friend to come. Daxter had risked life and limb to keep him company on this trip and Jak would be damned if he brought Daxter to Gol's Citadel. He suited up before picking up his backpack. He walked out of the hotel and made his way to the edge of The City of the Sky. He jumped off and waited for the ground to get close before activating his Blue Eco Box and zooming along in the sky. He dropped down to the ground and kept in the shadows as he approached the Citadel. As he ran out of Eco, Jak took off his Eco Box Belt and put on the new one that held double the Eco.

"Jeez! I can't breathe in here!" Daxter's shrill voice rang out. Jak started: how had Daxter entered his backpack without him seeing. More importantly, how had he remained in there without drawing Jak's attention. Staying silent was definitely not one of Daxter's strong suits. An odd buzzing sound filled the air as Jak glared at Daxter. Suddenly, Keira appeared out of a red bubble and fell to the ground. Jak was stunned. He had planned to come alone and now his two best friends had somehow followed him.

"Hey man, there was no way I was going to let you enter that place without me. You wouldn't last a second." Daxter said in response to Jak's glare.

"Daxter's right. For once." Keira added.

"Yea. Hey!"

"We're a team Jak. Me and Daxter are coming along. Whether you like it or not." Keira said, putting her hands on her hips. Jak stared at her hands: she was wearing two odd gloves.

"I'll tell you about them later Jak. After _we_ rescue my Dad." Jak sighed, knowing he had lost the battle. But then again, maybe it was for the better.

* * *

"Escuro… Do you feel it?" A calm voice asked.

"Yes Master," the demon replied.

"The war has begun," a third voice added.

"Yes. We must move in order to preserve the balance…" a fourth voice said as a group began moving to the north, always staying in shadow… never letting their faces be shown.

* * *

Jak looked at Gol's Citadel, a place literally brimming with evil. The entire place was a large tower, twisted, and deformed, with spikes sticking out everywhere. Just like the man inside. Jak sighed again as he turned to face it, knowing that in there he would be pushed to beyond his limits. In there he would face Gol at the peak of his power. In there Samos and the other Sages waited for him to battle his way to them. Jak knew what this mission would involve. He would have to fight through half the Lurker army and then face Gravis, Benedict, Maia, and Gol. All in a row.

But at least he wouldn't be alone.

* * *

Sorry for updating so late. I actually typed this on Thursday and was excited because I thought I would be able to update a day early. So I saved (numerous times) and safely shut my computer down. I load it back up and get a message that my computer cannot load because it is missing a file. So I run the recovery program option that said I would not lose any data I have saved. It basically said in techno language that it would look through everything I had and would delete anything corrupted. So it appears that Microsoft Words is corrupt, because it was gone. So now you know. Sorry again for this being so late, and if anyone has a suggestion for the Citadel such as a booby trap or an enemy or an obstacle, please let me know. I would also like to apologize for the clichéd prize at the hotel, but I couldn't think of anything else. Also, I would like to know if I somehow pulled the emotions and such off correctly. I probably didn't. Ah, well. Please review, and to those of you who don't, I pray I haven't caused you serious brain damage. Fair to moderate brain damage is expected and can be remedied with intense psychotherapy. Just e-mail me the bill. See you all on Saturday.

* * *

My Top Five Favorite Fanfictions. (They are listed alphabetically, not by preference.)

1. Risen Demon by Red Mage 04

2. Surge by Amathist Fwirrel

3. The Jak and Daxter Prank War by animedragongirl

4. The Sage's Legacy by Light-Eco-Sage

5. War of the Ancients by Red Mage 04

* * *

Quote of the week- Winston Churchill

(After World War II, Winston Churchill goes to a party and gets very drunk. A woman walks up to him.)

Woman: My dear Churchill, you are drunk.

Winston: My dear lady, you are ugly. And when we wake up in the morning I will be sober.


	27. Gol's Citadel and A Few Familiar Places

Once again, in case there was an error and you did not recieve your replies to your generous reviews, here they are.

* * *

Keeroshu: Yes you are doing well. Well, you were always a good writer. Yea, this is my sadistic way of torturing the hero. He'll get the reward though, don't worry. I think in the second or third to last chapter I'll throw in the "big finale." Do, I think Daxter was born like Homer, with that extra inch of fluid surrounding his brain. So he can get smacked around all he wants and never get brain damage. The guy should learn how not to antagonize women, I mean that's asking to die. I can't wait to see what the group fan-fic is going to be. I hope they don't drag your writing down, but then again, you know what you're doing. I don't think you would choose people that would make you look like an idiot. The Channeler thing goes two ways: the quicker you reply, the surer you can be of your spot. I now have three takers. I'm going to start posting at the end of every chapter so everyone knows who is what.

Red Mage 04: Yea, good ol' Churchill. I figured it was about time I brought the two of them together again, because I had laid off of that for a couple of chapters. Well… Gol won't be leaving for a while. Did I really refer to Margaret as Benedict? See, that is what makes me a bad writer, and what makes you a good one. Hopefully I'll return to updating Saturday (crosses fingers). I must admit, I never thought Daxter could try a _god's_ patience, but then I forgot one crucial fact: it's Daxter. Oh. That's what you meant with the reference to Tarath and Kor. Thanks for the heads up on that. I'm sure that without me, your works would be even better, and that you would have thought up all the nonsensical crap I spew out, only they would actually make sense. I will try to update ASAP. And I doubt very seriously that I have been much help to you, but I appreciate the compliment nonetheless. By the way, the music you sent me did _not_ work, but I have a program called Limewire that I use to download music, which fortunately does not affect me with any viruses, SPAM, etc. I used it to find the name and I downloaded the music by finding the name. So yes, I heard the music, and I like all of it.

Silver-WindScar: From the name, I'm going to guess that you watch Inuyasha. Great show. I actually got a couple of ideas from him, and see if you can guess which character I actually based on him. Thank you for the shot of confidence, but I can surely do better. And I know that you are a better writer even if you don't publish. You should read Surge, it takes a different take on Jak and Daxter, sometime after the third game. Thanks for the thumbs up. Star Wars? Not at all. Actually, George Lucas showed up at my house the day after I posted that and took me to court for plagiarism or something like that. Frankly, I have no idea where he's getting that idea from. Yes, I did really get the idea from Star Wars, but that is by far the biggest source of influence you will ever see. I plan on doing the rest of the book without drawing too much on anything. Yes! Two thumbs up! (Throws a party and gets high off of the sugar).

Disclaimer: I do not own Jak and Co. nor do I own any inserts that are based on real people. I do however own a copy of each of the games. (Daffy Duck) Mine! Mine! All Mine! Mwahahahahahahahaha!

* * *

Gol's Citadel and A Few Old Places 

"Jak!" Keira squealed as her fingers slipped and she almost fell off of his back. Jak spun around and grabbed her wrist, the powers of his glove letting him keep a firm grip on her with only one finger. As he hoisted her back up onto his shoulder, Jak snapped his thumb and ring fingers together, turning the adhesive powers of his right hand off. He reactivated it and resumed climbing Gol's Citadel. It was harder than one would think due to the numerous windows that made it possible for him to be sighted and constant Lurker patrols circled the Citadel. Jak finally made it to the top of the tower and climbed inside a window, sighing with the exhaustion of scaling a five hundred foot tower in twenty minutes. He sat down before immediately springing up. It had just fully hit him where they were: Gol's Citadel. Jak groaned a she realized that he would no longer be able to rest, no longer be allowed to have any fun. From here on end, he would have to give it his all every second. He hoped very much that he and Keira had been correct in assuming that Gol would keep his hostages at the top of the Citadel, since it was the furthest away from the main entrance.

Jak grabbed Keira and pulled her into the shadows as footsteps approached. Seconds later, a Lurker Scout went walking by the window. Jak waited for it to pass before emerging from the shadows again. He needed to find a place where he and Keira would be alone for a few minutes to work out a strategy. He saw a small door and darted through it. It turned out to be a closet. Jak summoned a small ball of fire so they could see what they were doing. He saw Keira fiddling with something on her belt. She pulled off the device and handed it to him. Jak held the metal circle with a glass face in his hands before seeing a button on the top. As he pressed down on it, the glass lit up. It was now purple with colored dots everywhere. The one in the center was white, and then there was a red one, a yellow one, a green one, a brown one, a grey one, a blue one and four black ones.

"Those dots represent the Sages. Red is for Santar, yellow is for Potentia, green is for my dad, blue is for Zeorro, brown is for Alecis and grey is for Tarea." Jak pointed at the four black dots. "Each of them represents either Gol, Maia, Gravis or Benedict." Jak nodded to show he understood before pushing the button on the top. Immediately the sizes of the dots changed and all except the white one in the center, which Jak assumed was him. To his dismay, Samos would have to be the last one to be rescued, considering he was the one that was the farthest away. He pointed this out to Keira, who pouted for a second. Jak secretly loved it when she did that but focused his mind on the task at hand.

"All right, I guess we'll go after Santar first. According to this, he should be across the hallway in a chamber." Surprised that he would be able to rescue one Sage so quickly, Jak opened the door and looked around. He saw nothing around so he quickly went back inside and picked Keira up on his back, pinning her legs to the sides of his chest so she wouldn't lose her balance. He sprinted to the door and opened it. Inside was a Warp Gate. Keira compared the signal to the Warp Gate: wherever Santar might be, the entrance to that place was on the other side of that Warp Gate. Jak turned around before going through and drew an imaginary line across the entrance to the Warp Gate.

"Jak, you had better not be implying you want me to stay here." Jak nodded and hastily put a hand over her mouth before she could retaliate. He walked over to the Gate and flipped it off. He then pointed to her and turned it back on. Keira understood what he was saying: if the Warp Gate was turned off, he would be trapped. However, if she stayed on this side, she could ensure that it would remain open.

"Oh all right. Hurry back though," Keira said as Jak gave her a thumbs up and flipped through the War Gate. He looked around and let out a gasp: they were back in the Red Eco Temple. He had never been to this particular section, but he knew this had to be the place: he was inside a volcano, and there was only one volcano on this continent.

Lava rivers flowed everywhere, with sections of rock floating around on the surface. Jak took a running start and jumped over a gap. A piece of rock fell from the ceiling and Jak threw himself forward to avoid it. It impacted with a crash and as Jak rolled to straighten himself out, he saw fissures appear in the rock. He leapt up and landed on another rock. This one was not floating so Jak took his time to look around. Already he was feeling the heat begin to affect him. A shaky looking bridge over a bubbling pit of lava. Jak walked on it, slowly at first, but quickly sped up as he felt it begin to wobble. As it collapsed when he was near the end, Jak extended his arm and shot out the grappling hook. He immediately stopped falling straight down and swung forward. Unfortunately for him, the swing ended in his hitting the wall. Jak rubbed his nose with one hand as he reeled himself in.

When he pulled himself up, Jak saw that he had two ways that he could go. He chose the left way and saw a horrible sight: an eyeball with bat wings. It swiveled around so that it was facing him with the pupil and shot a Red Eco beam at him. Jak leapt over it and slashed at it with Yellow Eco. His attack parted the second beam of Eco the eye had sent at him and sliced it cleanly in half. As it died, Jak took another running leap onto a rock stand. As it began to sink, Jak saw a hole in the wall and fired his grappling hook at it. He reeled himself up and rolled into the tunnel. As he walked though, Jak summoned a couple of balls of fire, both to shed some light on the area and to be ready to attack. Jak felt none of the uncertainty that normally plagued him in the Temples. Perhaps it was because he had been here, or that he was more powerful and better equipped. Jak neither knew nor cared about why he didn't feel so nervous, all he cared about was the fact that he didn't.

Jak emerged in another cavern, one very similar looking to the last one. He was reassured that he was not going in circles, however, by the fact that there was a Warp gate missing. He leapt down and instantly was knocked forward by an enemy from behind. Jak rolled his body along to avoid getting trampled and got to his feet. His enemy was very off-putting: it was a giant black ball with fiery feet and two yellow horns sticking out of the head. Two glowing eyes, like charcoal, were set in the face. It lowered its head so the horns were facing straight and charged again. Jak simply sidestepped it and levitated it so that it flew into the lava. As it came into contact with the molten rock, the fire on its feet turned bright blue and it walked on the lava. It turned around and charged once more. Jak did a double back flip and on the second time around planted his feet in the beast's face. Said ball of metal went flying back and impacted the lava again. This time, Jak sent a scythe of Yellow Eco at it and cleaved it in half. What happened next was surprising: it exploded with a deafening bang. The entire cavern vibrated and Jak had to dodge some stalactites that fell from the ceiling.

There was suddenly a rumbling and Jak felt the temperature begin to increase drastically. The reason for such a phenomenon quickly became apparent, as the lava had begun to rise. Jak looked around for something to latch on to, but he was in the middle of the cavern, far enough from every wall that he couldn't reach them. Suddenly, pieces of rock rose out of the lava and formed stairs. Jak leapt to the first one and it began to shake. Jak immediately leapt up and looked down just in time to see the piece of rock fall down into the lava. He latched onto the next piece and reeled himself up. He pulled himself up and then took off again. Each piece of rock he landed on immediately collapsed, preventing him from catching his breath. After reaching the last one in the spiral like pattern the platforms had set themselves in, Jak kneeled down to the ground in exhaustion, though to an outsider it appeared as if he were thanking the Precursors for solid land. As he sat down, Jak pulled out a small bag of nuts. The person who had given them to him in The City of the Sky said that he should only eat one at a time. Jak popped one in his mouth and found that it tasted like a pistachio. Unlike a pistachio, it left Jak feeling as full as if he had eaten a hearty meal.

"Hey Jak, lemme get something," Daxter said. Jak put the special nuts back in his backpack and gave Daxter a Cucco cutlet. As the Ottsel devoured the poultry, Jak saw a number of creatures similar to the one he had just killed charging him. He did notice that they were smaller, which would make disposing of them easier. He summoned an Eco Blade and made any that close enough to him regret it by slicing them to pieces. He leapt up to avoid a series of explosions and cut up another dozen as landed. Thankfully, these detonations did not cause another eruption. Speaking of which, Jak was curios as to why the lava that had been rising had not overflowed and come streaming toward him. Jak walked to the hole that he had come up out of and saw that a Precursor metal grate had slammed shut so the lava was held back.

Jak went back to the cavern he had just exited and took a running leap over a lava river. He landed and rolled on the other side. As he took a step, flames suddenly shot out of a hole in the wall. Jak dropped to his knees as one of his legs was singed with second-degree burns. He hastily turned on his Green Eco Box and watched as the skin went back to the normal tan that it usually was. He stood back up and watched as the flames shot out again. He ran past and made it to the other side without getting deep-fried. Jak stood up and got hit in the chest by a Red Eco beam. The eyeball that had fired it soared in from the ceiling and Jak killed it with a small beam of Yellow Eco about the diameter of his finger. Jak came to a wooden log after about five minutes of walking. He poked it and it bobbed up and down in the lava. Jak put his feet on it and began to walk backwards. The log began to move forward and it was in this way Jak carried himself across the lake of lava, ignoring Daxter's accusations that he was insane, crazy, idiotic and a host of other things. A sudden blast caught his attention and Jak looked over to the other side of the lake and saw a miniature volcano. Something told Jak that that was his new objective.

Jak shot his grappling hook onto the ceiling and swung forward. He fired his other hook and detached the first. As he swung, Jak got the hand of switching hands to travel hazardous distances quickly. He thought of all the Blue Eco he would save if he used these more often. Jak swung upwards one final time and peered inside the volcano. It was not spewing lava, as Jak had originally thought, but Yellow Eco. Jak dived straight down and impacted the floor like a spider as he spread his limbs. He was in yet another cavern, and Jak spotted something purple in the distance. He quickly got out of sight and activated his Eco Search Mode on his goggles. He got a reading of Dark Eco so small that it couldn't possibly be anyone dangerous. He was getting an enormous Red Eco reading on the other hand. Jak assumed that the source of Red Eco could be none other than Santar, Sage of Red Eco. Jak jumped from platform to platform until he reached the Red Sage. Questions as to why the Sage didn't simply break through the bars of his containment soon became obvious; the bars on his cages were covered in Dark Eco. The Sage was lying on his back, but Jak couldn't tell if his eyes were open or closed, since he was wearing goggles over them.

A nearby machine was glowing brightly. Jak put his foot through it and a Power Cell popped out. Jak scooped it up and stored it in his pocket. The bars around the Red Sage stopped glowing and Jak sliced through them with an Eco Saber with relative ease. It appeared that Santar was unconscious, so Daxter did one of the oldest tricks in the book. He held the Sage's nostrils together.

Santar sat up, spluttering. He caught sight of the elf and animal in front of him and smiled feebly. Jak handed him a restorative bean and the Sage took it gratefully. After he ingested it, he stood up, tall and string. Jak could see how this guy was the Red Eco Sage; he carried himself a certain way. He was… confident, that was the word Jak was looking for, Santar was confident. He was a short and stocky man, yet in no way did he look physically unfit. His entire body practically screamed of powerful physical force. His orange skin was covered in what looked a metal barrel. Two red pipes connected from his stomach to his back, but as to what purpose they served, Jak had no idea. There were four or five switches on Santar's chest, giving Jak the impression that there was more to this suit than met the eye. The Sage's forearms were covered in gauntlets that had one pipe each across the wrists. On top of the metal plate that covered the scalp of the Red Sage was a piece of glass that served some kind of purpose, though as to what it actually was Jak had no idea.

"You've finally come to rescue me!" Santar said. He had a deep rolling voice that sounded like it could be benevolent or belligerent depending on his mood. "Do you know how long I've been in here? Heh! What are your names?" Daxter spoke up as he jumped off of Jak's shoulder.

"I'm Daxter! He's Jak," Daxter said, motioning to the Channeler with his head. "He's with me." Santar rolled his eyes: Samos had been right about the rodent after all.

"Good job, Daxter! You're a real hero!" Santar to boost the small one's already larger than life ego. Daxter's chest puffed out but pulled himself back down to Weyard at Santar's next words. "You've got to stop Gol from launching the robot! I'd use my Eco power to help you, but I have been drained. It will take me some time to recharge my Econetic energies, so I'll just have to follow your lead."

"Oh, oh that is just perfect!" Daxter said as they hopped through the Warp Gate to Gol and Maia's Citadel. They hit the ground and Keira helped them up.

"Hello Santar," she said bowing. Santar chuckled.

"Don't bow to me. It makes me feel awkward." Santar said. "Am I the first to be rescued?"

"Yes. Our next target is Alecis, but she's down a couple of floor."

"Wait a minute, wait a minute. Alecis is a _woman_?" Daxter exclaimed before a perverted look came over his face. Keira rolled his eyes as they snuck out of the room. They found a contraption similar to the one in the hotel and rode it down two floors until Alecis' reading became strong enough that they could safely assume that that was where she was being kept. As the doors opened, a Lurker Scout walked in. There was a comical moment when everyone froze, not sure what to do. This lasted only a split second before Santar grabbed the Lurker and snapped its neck with one hand. As the corpse fell to the ground, Santar summoned flames so string that within seconds the carcass was reduced to ash. This all lasted about five seconds, and Jak, Daxter and Keira stared at Santar who looked at them questioningly.

"What? Oh, I'm not a Sage for nothing." He said as he chuckled. The two followed them until he stopped. "So, where is Alecis?"

"Oh," Keira said, getting flustered. "She should be three doors on the left." Lo and behold, when they opened said door, they found another Warp Gate.

"You go Jak. I wont be much help in my weakened state, so I'll just guard the Warp Gate with Keira. But before you go, take this," Santar added, tossing a hilt of an Eco Saber at Jak. Jak caught it and activated it; thinking that it was fitting that Santar should carry a red Eco Saber.

Jak jumped through the portal and looked around in awe. He had absolutely no idea where he was, but he was in astonishment of wherever he was. He recognized it as a library; he had been in Samos' often enough, looking up things for schoolwork. But he had never thought that there could be a library made out of metal, with light blue disks instead of books. The entire hall was magnificently crafted, with statues of elves lining the walkway. Jak walked around, spinning in a circle so as to see more of this place. He knew he was on a rescue mission, but that didn't mean he couldn't take in the sights of a new area.

Suddenly a battle cry made Jak spin around. One of the stone statues had come to life and was attacking Jak with a Green Eco Blade. Jak hastily summoned an Eco Blade of his own and cut the statue in half. Unfortunately, that only alerted others to his presence. Two female looking statues holding Blue Eco Sabers attacked him from behind. Jak let them swing at him but made sure they missed. One of them stretched out her hand and blue lightning came streaming out. Jak was so stunned by this new power that he couldn't move. After Jak got over the attack, he found that his muscles were paralyzed. He saw the two statues coming in to slice him and he concentrated on the Blade in his hand. It shot off as a Grenade and detonated on impact with the two statues reducing them to rubble. Jak waited about thirty seconds before he was able to move again.

Three seconds later, three more statues came charging Jak, a male and female both with a Red Eco Saber and a female with a Yellow Eco Blade. Jak went into a Makashi stance: pointing his front foot straight ahead, while the rear one was placed perpendicular. He leaned back so that sixty percent of his weight was on his rear leg. He held his front Eco Blade away from his body at a diagonal angle towards the ground, while his rear and second Eco Blade was held away from his body at an upward diagonal angle.

All three attacked at once, but due to the powerful defensive capabilities of the Makashi style, Jak was able to deflect a large amount of the blows while avoiding the few he missed. After getting all three statues in a lock, Jak twisted his Blades up so that everyone had their arms up and their chests exposed. He quickly dropped to his knee and spun rapidly so that he cut the three of them down with no trouble.

Due to the noise that Jak was making, more and more statues were activating. No less than a dozen came running at Jak. Jak swung his two swords around, sending streaks of Yellow Eco at them. Sven of the statues died in this way. Jak threw both his Blades as spears and the Eco shattered two more statues. Jak hurriedly used the dispersing Eco as shards and imbedded sent them flying at one of the statues. As the shards passed right through, the statue fell to the floor, little more than dust now. Jak gathered the shards in his hands and summoned a pair of Yellow Eco Blades just in time to block an incoming attack. Jak parried and blocked both statues, each with only one arm. He ducked down and the statue's Blades clashed, giving Jak a golden opportunity to imbed the pair.

As they slumped over Jak walked up to a door. As he got close, a thin Dark Eco shield surrounded it. Jak heard a commotion on one of the balconies upstairs and used Red Eco to enhance his jumping ability before leaping up. As he landed, five more statues came running at him, each armed with a different type of Blade. All of them fired streaks of Eco at Jak, who jumped over them and a Yellow Grenade and a Red Grenade at the quintet. As they all exploded, Jak looked around for something to shut down the force field around the door. A complicated and glittering console caught his eye, and Jak slashed at it. As it detonated, sending sparks flying up into the air, Jak fell down to the ground, grappling himself to safety at the last second to avoid hitting his head. The force field on the door was now gone, so Jak strolled through, keeping his guard up in case there was anything else that intended to do him harm.

As Jak went down the narrow corridor, his battle senses began going haywire. About a second after he adopted his fighting stance a guys with a Blue Eco Blade so long that it look as though it were a staff came at him. Jak blocked all of the incoming attacks and sliced the statue right down the middle. As one sculpture fell, another came in eager to catch the Channeler off guard. Jak didn't even bother using a Blade on this guy; he simply threw a Red Grenade at him.

The statue fell to the ground, minus one head, as Jak finished sprinting down the corridor, ignoring all the effigies activating and coming for him. As he neared the end, Jak turned around and sheared a piece of the ceiling down to the ground, plugging up the entrance and preventing the others from following him.

Jak entered another hallway, but this one was pitch black. Eco Sabers began lighting up everywhere and Jak summoned a Green Eco Shield to protect himself from the long distance attacks. Jak tossed up a Red Eco Flare and in the thirty seconds that it was lit up demolished the forces attacking him.

As Jak put away his Eco Blade, the ground collapsed and he extended both of his gloves. He activated both grappling hooks and as the clasps dug in the wall he was suspended. Jak looked down and couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. Jak released the grapplers on his gloves and dropped down into the next room that looked remarkably like the first. There were four statues in this room, one in each corner. They were each a different color, and Jak supposed that they represented Green, Blue, Yellow, and Red Eco, respectively.

The green robot attacked first and Jak was grateful that he didn't have to fight all four at once. He ran straight at it, hoping to take it out quickly with a direct attack. As he neared the robot, it extended it hands and Green Lightning shot out. Jak crumpled as the agonizing attack ripped through his body. As he struggled to break through the electricity, Jak could feel his heart and lungs slowing down: it was getting harder to breathe. He extended his hand as he fell to the ground as though to plead with the emotionless robot to stop and it paused. Jak instantly shot a beam of Yellow Eco at it and blew the head off. He turned away and began to walk toward another robot when a second blast of electricity caught him off guard. When the robot was done, Jak was on the floor whimpering. He saw a bright light through his closed eyes and dodged to the left while summoning an Eco Blade. He held it up and tried to keep the Blade up under the powerful barrage of lightning sent at him. He kicked the robot in the chest and sheared its limbs off before piercing it right where the heart would be on an elf. Apparently the body structure was similar, because it at once stopped twitching.

Jak turned around and saw that a circle on the floor had one of its quarters lit up. A blue robot began charging Jak. Jak noticed that although this robot was a bit thinner than the green one, it was much faster. Jak jumped over the robot and it blasted him with Blue Lightning in midair. Jak's body was once again frozen as he hit the wall. He regained control of his body just in time to erect a Green Eco Shield to protect himself from another blast. He backed off and had another blast fired at him. Jak noticed that it was extremely narrow and easy to avoid as he spun on the spot. He pirouetted once more and summoned an Eco Blade before running in. The power of his Blade was such that the Blue Lightning rebounded off and struck the robot. It instantly froze and Jak impaled it through the heart as he had done to the other one.

As another circle on the floor lit up, Jak saw the yellow robot move. As he ran around the robot it shot a blast of Yellow Lightning. Although Jak expected it by now, he didn't expect it to be such a wide attack, thinking that it would be narrow like the others. It caught him right I the chest and Daxter leapt off his chest right before it hit. Jak fell to his knees thrashing around as his skin began to peel away. His eyes rolled back in his skull as he prayed to the Precursors to let this agony stop, whether by death or divine intervention. Apparently, the Ancients chose the latter in the form of a certain Ottsel. Daxter covered the eyes of the robot and it stopped the assault on Jak. Said Channeler healed himself with Green Eco before running up to the robot and kicking it in the chest, fury giving him the strength to dent the chest carapace. Jak summoned a Yellow Eco Blade but the android punched him into the red cyborg.

Said automaton shot a blast of Red Lightning at Jak. Jak tossed Daxter up into the air so he wouldn't be injured and reflected the Red Lightning at the red robot. The Lightning rebounded and the sheer heat of it began to melt the robot. As the slag dripped to the floor Jak sensed that the other robot was ready to reenter the fight. He waited until he heard the attack streaking through the air before leaping out of the way. The Yellow Lightning proved to be too much for the red android to handle and it shut down. As the red portion of the circle lit up, Jak fired a beam of Yellow Eco at the third robot, obliterating it completely at the cost of all his Eco.

As the final section of the floor lit up, a cage with a woman in it emerged. She was not as youthful as Daxter had hoped she would be, meaning she looked as though she were in her mid twenties. Small wrinkles were on her forehead, a mark that gave Jak the impression that Alecis furrowed her brow a lot. Her yellow hair was tied behind her head in a ponytail and she looked much bigger than Keira overall, being Jak's height and slightly wider than him. Her pale complexion gave her the appearance of being away from the sun for a while. She was dressed in all green clothes, with a leather belt across her waist and another one across her chest, from her shoulder to the opposite hip. On the belt were two Eco Sabers and on the chest were three small devices. Jak smashed the machine making the bars glow purple and slashed through the bars with a Red Eco Scythe. Alecis' eyes opened as she sat up. Jak stuck his hand out and helped pull her up.

"Sheesh, thought you guys would never free me," she said in a musical voice as she grinned, letting them know she wasn't angry.

"Hey baby, it was me that did all the work," Daxter piped up. Jak rolled his eyes (as did Alecis) as they made their way over to the Warp Gate.

"Tarea, it is good to see you," Santar said as they hopped out.

"Santar," she responded, nodding her head as he did the same. "So, are we the only ones alive?"

"No, we are merely the first to be freed. This charming young lady has made a device that scans the tower for powerful Eco signals, letting them us where we need to go first."

"So… where now?"

"Uh hang on," Keira said as she fiddled with her Sage Scanner. "It looks like… ten feet straight down."

"Well then, let me do the honors," Alecis said before activating both of her Eco Sabers. She stuck them in the ground and walked around in a circle so that they all fell down one floor. There was a crash as seven Generals were smashed by the ceiling falling them. Jak waved goodbye to the two Sages and tossed the Eco Blade back to Santar. He locked eyes with Keira and sent a thought promising her he would come back before he hopped through the gate that would lead him to Potentia.

As he expected, Jak popped out in a section of the Yellow Eco Temple he had never seen. He saw that the walls in here were the kind he could climb, so Jak activated the adhesive functions on his gloves and began climbing up the wall. He pulled himself and turned his gloves' special function off. There was a Yellow Eco Vent in the center of the room. Jak went over to it and was blasted back by a Yellow Eco beam. Jak ran forward and jumped over the blast that he knew was coming. A second beam hit him but not before Jak saw the enemy: one of those machines that looked at him before firing. Jak reached out with his right hand and summoned the Eco from the Vent that way while he Channeled Blue Eco and crushed the head of the robot.

Jak continued charging up and summoned an Eco Blade after his Eco Box became full. Jak dropped down through a hole in the floor and immediately dodged three Yellow Eco beams aimed at him by more statues. A forth beam hit him in the back and Jak staggered forward. He crashed into a wall and the two closest statues in the corners aimed at him. Jak leapt up at the last possible second and the two statues killed each other. Jak reflected two more beams at him with his forearm armor and destroyed the last of the statues. A door materialized as the last one exploded and Jak entered the next room, hoping that Gol hadn't placed Potentia _too_ far inside the temple.

As soon as Jak entered, three werewolves charged at him. Jak used his Eco Blade to cut them down quickly. He reflected for a second on how much easier this temple was now that he was so much stronger and had access to more advanced Channeling abilities than he had three and a half months ago. A replica of the sun was on the ceiling and a beam of artificial sunlight was streaming in through the window. Jak reflected it off his armor and a deep chime went off somewhere in the bowels of the dungeon. A coffin appeared in the center of the room. It opened and a mummy slowly stepped out. Its burning red eye settled on Jak, who was frozen with terror. It slowly walked towards him, and Jak didn't move: his mind was paralyzed with fear. It reached out and groaned as it grabbed Jak by the throat. Jak gasped for breath as he grabbed the hand that seemed to be sucking the very life out of him. Jak struggled vainly against the death grip around his windpipe, which only caused the mummy to squeeze tighter. Jak finally began thinking again: he was going to die. He summoned a massive beam of Yellow Eco out of his chest and the mummy was hurled back. Jak ran forward and threw fire at it, hoping that the heat would cause the bandages surrounding the unseen body to burst into flames. He sighed in relief when that was exactly what happened. Jak looked around in this room but there was no way out. He was suddenly seized by the most curious idea. Jak walked over to the open coffin and stepped inside. It slammed shut and began sinking down. Jak held his breath for as long as he could, since he knew that there wasn't a lot in this coffin to begin with.

Finally, just when Jak's lungs felt like they were about to burst, the door opened. Jak fell out, gasping for breath, gulping down air like he had never breathed properly before. He looked around in this new room and saw that he was in a desert like room: there was sand everywhere. Green goop began literally to rain down from the ceiling. As the blobs straightened out and began moving toward him, Jak stepped back, recognizing the goop as the potential deadly foe that had nearly killed him the last time he was in this Legateeish place…

* * *

Jak entered the room and saw a greenish blob about his size on the floor. It slithered towards him and Jak leapt back; his experience in this dungeon had taught him that everything wanted to kill him. Jak activated his Red Eco Box and kicked it as hard as he could. His foot sank into the gooey flesh and Jak experienced a sharp burning pain. A yellow light caught Jak's eye; a Yellow Eco Vent had sprung to life; all he needed to do was get to it. Jak tried to take a step, but his left foot was anchored to the ground; immobilized by the odd living goop. He fell off and tried to crawl, thoughts of escaping from this horrible place giving him strength. The burning sensation in his foot spread, and as Jak looked down, he saw the ooze was spreading itself all over his body. As panic fogged his thoughts, Jak took Daxter out of his backpack and threw him as far as he could; while he might be dead, the monster would not get his best friend. He continued crawling frantically as the slime spread, but just as he got to the Vent, it had swallowed him up completely. Jak held his breath as he struggled against the monster holding him. Daxter looked on in horror as his best friend was digested right in front of him. The monster glowed yellow as the Eco washed over it, but far from hurting it, the monster's flesh became hard, encasing Jak forever in an impenetrable cocoon of death…

* * *

Jak flew up and charged up the remainder of his Yellow and Red Eco. He gathered all of it into a ball and flew down. As he reached the ground, Jak constructed a Green Eco Shield and made the ball of Yellow Eco explode by slamming it into the ground. 

The result was similar to that of a nuclear explosion.

Jak lowered the shield and looked around. He had done quite a job of killing the enemies, but now that he thought about it, he might have overdone it, considering the walls were gone. Panting and a numbness in his right arm made him look at his friend, who was so white that Jak could tell even past the fur.

"You are…" Daxter panted, "COMPLETELY INSANE!" he screeched. Jak winced as his ears began to ring. Jak spotted a purple glow in the distance and took off for it, looking like a streak of blue and white. A metal suit of armor dropped down from the ceiling and growled as it swung a gigantic axe. Jak glared at it and picked it up in the air with Blue Eco. He ripped it apart piece by piece and let the dismantled parts fall to the ground. Jak destroyed the third machine and pocketed the Power Cell. He took a good look at Potentia, who looked yellow. He was dressed in a thick wool shirt-like garment and wore metal gauntlets like Santar, minus the red glowing rings. In his right hand, Potentia held a weapon that looked very similar to the one Boggy Billie had back in Boggy Swamp while an Eco Saber hilt was hooked up to the left side of his belt. A metal helmet covered his eyes like a helmet, with a glass circle on the top. His beard was down to his chest and had a loop in it halfway through.

The Yellow Sage finally spoke, and Jak's immediate impression was that he was a direct relative to the marsh-dwelling elf. "Whoo-whee! Now who would'a thought I'd live to see the day when I had to be rescued by a boy and his muskrat?" Jak began shaking with stifled laughter as Daxter glared understandably at the Sage. His protest (and most likely, insult) was cut off by Potentia's next words; "I'm gonna give Gol and Maia a little payback for these embarrassments! Then we'll see about cookin' up some muskrat stew." Daxter gulped and made his way back into Jak's backpack. The three of them went through the Warp Gate and linked up with the others.

"Hey, Santar ol' buddy. How're ya doin'? And Alecis, did ya'll lose weight?"

"Still the same old Potentia I see." Santar said in his deep voice as Alecis smiled.

"So Keira, where to now?" Santar asked.

"Let's see. According to this, Zeorro is one floor down and on the other side of the Citadel."

"Well then, let's get at work!" Potentia said as he leveled his weapon and blew a hole in the floor. Jak and Keira rolled their eyes and fell through the floor as it crumbled. Jak hastily turned on his Blue Eco Box and began beating the Lurkers who had come to see what had made the commotion. Thankfully, the place was so big that they hadn't been detected anywhere else. Jak reached the Warp Gate and turned around, asking if anyone other than Keira would come with him.

"Sorry Jak. We can't come with you. Potentia and I will need all the power we can regenerate to overcome Gol and Maia." Jak sighed but didn't argue: there was too much truth in that statement to disregard it.

"Hey! What about the chick!" Daxter asked.

"I wouldn't be much help. I'm not a Channeler. But I can give you these," Alecis said as handed her two Eco Sabers to Jak. Jak took them, he might actually use them this time around.

Jak emerged in an unexplored section of the Blue Eco Temple, just as he expected. He drew the two Eco Sabers and activated them, thinking that he might as well be prepared. The blue and green lights reflected off the water that surrounded the small island of Precursor metal he was standing on. Jak leapt over the now yellow water to another platform, well aware of what landing in the water while it was glowing like that would do to him. Jak climbed up a ladder and entered another room.

This one had a small mountain of Precursor metal in the center. Jak began to climb it and ducked when a small purple comet came streaking towards him. He looked up and saw a odd animal. It looked like an elf without ears, with thick brown hair covering its body. Its lower right arm was made out of a cylinder made out of Precursor Metal. It lit up and Jak ducked as another Dark Eco Grenade came streaking his way. He leaped into the air and slammed the beast into the side of the mountain with his Blue Eco powers, but not before it had gotten one last shot off. Jak launched it back at the source and the beast was blown apart by its own attack.

Jak reached the top of the mountain and dived down the hole inside it. He landed in a pool of water. He held his breath and dived down, looking for a tunnel. Jak saw a blue light shimmering at the bottom and took off for it. Jak summoned Green Eco Shield to both protect him from the electrical barrages and to give himself a steady supply of oxygen. Jak reached the glistening circle at the bottom of the lake and tentatively put his hand through it and felt that sensation when he was underwater and stuck his hand above the surface. Jak dropped down and his body dried as he emerged from the ceiling. Jak looked up at the circle he had just come out of and saw that it looked just like a mirror. Another ape-like beast attacked him from out of nowhere. Jak grappled himself around the room and eventually the beast had to reload his arm. Jak launched himself down and tackled the beast. He punched it in the jaw and then snapped its neck, effectively killing it.

A barrel caught Jak's eye as he was getting up off the beast. He picked it up and saw that it was full of Red and Yellow Eco. After recharging his Eco Boxes, Jak picked it up and tossed it at a feeble looking door. As he expected, the keg exploded and left a gaping hole in the wall. Jak poked his head inside and saw a long slide. Jak slid down the slide, hoping that he was getting closer to finding Zeorro. Jak steered to the left to avoid a pipe, and leaned so that he wouldn't drift as the hallway turned. Jak kept dodging the pipes, he steered right, then left, all the while trying not to run into the walls. Jak made a sharp turn to the right as the passageway narrowed and pipes started lining up the left wall. Jak gritted his teeth as he got close to the pipes and felt the heat come off of them. He jumped three times over the pipes that were stretched across the floor and landed in a chamber with a Power Cell waiting for him on a platform three feet away. As Jak grabbed the Power Cell, the platform he was on sank, just like a giant button. It suddenly sprang back up, launching Jak up through another portal. Jak landed hard on the floor and looked up at a purple glow. There was the cage of Zeorro, Sage of Blue Eco. Jak pocketed the Power Cell he had just collected along with the one that the machine spat out when he destroyed it.

"Good work, fellows! Old Samos was right about you! That insidious mechanical creation Gol and Maia are fabricating must not be allowed to wreak its terrible havoc! When we get to the suitable setting, I will try and inhibit the defensive door by eliciting a pathouette of energy between myself and the entrance!" A stunned silence met this pronouncement.

Jak eyed the Blue Sage with some caution. He seemed harmless, but very prone to excitement. He was wearing a pair of tan pants, with his lower legs covered with straps of Yakow leather. He wore a blue shirt over his pale blue skin with a brown X on the center. His right hand had a barrel-like gauntlet that Jak was sure swerved some kind of purpose. A four-foot tall metal staff with a blue glass sphere on the top was clutched in Zeorro's left hand. He had a monocle on his left eye and a metal hat with glass tubes sticking out of it at random angles. His mustache was six inches long on each side and stuck straight out sideways.

Zeorro dragged Jak and Daxter through the Warp gate and they once again rendezvoused with the other three Sages and Keira.

"Santar, Alecis, Potentia! It is spectacular to observe each and every one of you yet again when we are currently emancipated."

"Still Zeorro," all three of them said simultaneously.

"Okay baby, where now?" Daxter asked before hiding from Potentia, who was eyeing him hungrily.

"Down eight floors and twenty meters to the right, _muskrat_." Keira said, which efficiently shut Daxter up.

"Well then, take hold of my arm," Zeorro exclaimed. Jak grabbed his arm, then Keira grabbed Jak's arm, then Alecis, then Santar, and finally Potentia. Zeorro closed his eyes and concentrated. Jak suddenly felt as though his body was being forced through a tight rubber tube. When the pressure released, Jak stood up shakily and saw Keira do the same. He looked around and saw a massive door. The signal for Tarea was coming from the other side, and that was where the Precursor Robot was being held. Jak spotted a Warp Gate and checked with Keira: this one would lead to Samos. Jak hopped through what he hoped was the last Warp gate: he wanted to rescue Samos so they could stop Gol and Maia once and for all.

Jak emerged in the Green Eco Temple and ran right past an odd-looking creature. It had four stumpy legs that it scuttled around on. A small squat body was connected to an equally squat head that had only one red eye. A single horn was sticking out of the top of its head. Jak fired a small Yellow Eco ball behind him at it and its head was blown clear off. Jak took a look at his surroundings: he was in a dim place with moss that glowed faintly, giving the entire place a eerie glow. Three more creatures charged him with their heads bent down. Jak waited for them to get close and stabbed them both right through the head with his two Eco Sabers. They wailed a horrible screeching for a second before dying.

Jak took a right at a fork in the road and arrived in a room full of odd creatures. Jak found it odd that the farther he journeyed into this place, the weirder looking his enemies got. These particular foes had two legs attached to size ninety-seven width double Z feet and a head with three red eyes. Upon seeing Jak, all of these creatures somehow breathed fire at him through nonexistent mouths. Jak didn't really stop to ponder this particular singularity, as he was quite busy dodging the blasts. Jak absorbed the fire and rebounded it on the creatures before slapping himself: surely these creatures would not be susceptible to their own attacks. To his surprise, the attacks did indeed hurt the enemies. Jak charged up a fireball and extended it so that it resembled a tornado. He aimed it each and every one of the organisms until they were all eradicated.

Jak continued on his not quite so merry little way as he traveled deeper into the Temple, uneasiness stabbing him from every direction. A scuttling sound made Jak spin around just in time to see a giant crab-like beast charge him. It had eight short scurrying legs and eight red eyes. It bowled Jak over and just walked over him, its legs indenting his skin and causing a few bones to get bruised. Jak stood up and healed himself with Green Eco. As it charged again, Jak leapt over it and fired a Yellow Eco grenade at it. The Grenade bounced off and went ricocheting back toward Jak. Jak did a back flip as he called the Grenade back to him and turned it into a Blade. He landed on the back of the crab and began hammering away at the thing's exoskeleton, which, despite his best efforts, refused point-blank to crack. Jak jumped off the creatures back and recalled his Blade, opting instead to send streams of fire at it. The crab pulled its head inside the shell as well as its eight legs. The fire did absolutely nothing to the beast and Jak began to feel his adrenaline pumping again. Although he spent a large portion of his life fighting, Jak did not usually lose his cool. It was only at times like this, when he needed to work out a completely new strategy and was being pushed to his limits that his blood really got pumping, that his adrenaline entered the blood stream. It was the times like these that Jak loved to a degree: he didn't let his body distract him from the task at hand, nor did he let the desire to always be in this state rule him: he kept it in check.

Jak grabbed his two Eco Sabers and threw them right at the beast's eyes. His aim was true and they sank right in all the way to the hilt. The crustacean let out a roar and ran around in circles, blinded, as it died. Jak grabbed his Eco Sabers and put them back on his belt. After looking around and determining that there were no more immediate threats, Jak took off his backpack and found a hero.

"Light meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato and mustard. Keira really does know how to make a great sandwich among other things," Jak thought as he munched on his meal, giving a small portion to Daxter.

After that hearty meal, Jak stood up and once again started on his quest to find the Sage of Green Eco. Seeing a purple glow, Jak took off once more, hoping that he had found Samos at last. Sure enough, there he was.

"Hey Jak, lets just leave him here," Daxter whispered. But not quietly enough, it would seem.

"DAXTER! YOU HAD BETTER GET OVER HERE AND FREE ME FROM THIS INFERNAL CAGE!" As Jak covered his ears, he thought the Sage might have burst a blood vessel with that last outburst.

Jak found the small machine powering Samos' cage's Dark Eco shield. As the light faded from the bars, Jak sliced through the bars of Samos' cage, finally freeing the wizened Sage from the confines of his imprisonment.

"Good work, boys! You're real heroes now!" Jak and Daxter's jaws dropped open: never before had they heard Samos praise Jak and Daxter together. They shook their heads as one and with an enormous effort pulled themselves back to the present to pay attention to what Samos was saying. "I'll combine my power with the other Sage's and together we'll open the shield door surrounding the Precursor Robot!" Daxter clapped his hands together and rubbed them together with an evil grin on his face. Samos and the others hopped through the Warp gate and emerged at the door guarding the Precursor Robot.

At the sight of her father, Keira had pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. Jak tossed Alecis her Eco Sabers back before Keira pulled Jak into a hug as well. Jak felt three of ribs begin to crack before Keira released him.

"After you guys open the shield, what are you going to do about the robot?" Samos rolled his eyes as he, Zeorro, Santar and Potentia charged up and unleashed a beam of energy that was twenty feet in diameter each at the energy field surrounding the Precursor Robot. The shield held up to the barrage for a few seconds but then caved in. The Sages stopped immediately so as to conserve their energy. Samos then turned to the three teenagers as he leaned on his staff heavily; the last attack had taken up an enormous amount of energy, but he still had about one quarter of his full power to work with.

Keira pulled the beacon off of her belt and activated it, a sign for everyone they had stationed at the City of the Sky to attack the Citadel.

Jak ran inside at the sight of a cage. Inside was Tarea, the final Sage. She was about Keira's size, with a blue tunic, red pants, black hair that reached down to her shoulders and purple eyes. She had a belt like Alecis', although this one had only one Eco Saber and a myriad of small inventions and gadgets. Jak had a feeling that Keira and Tarea would become very fast friends.

Jak could now see the Precursor Robot for himself and even through the trepidation he felt on what he had to do, he could still appreciate the technology, even if it had been tainted by Gol. The entire thing was the goldish orange color of the Precursors and was mostly intact. The left leg was complete save for the foot, the missing appendage had been replaced by a greenish-brown clumsy looking metal. The bottom was covered in spikes that looked as they might be made out of the bone that he had seen on Misty Island the third time he had gone. The biggest one was in the center of the bottom, with three one each side getting progressively smaller and one above it only a tad smaller than the center one, like grotesque toes. All of them were curved up and vicious looking.

The right leg was made completely out of Precursor metal, but did not look as if it was made out of one piece, like the left one did. Below the thigh the leg became triple-jointed, with a bend at the knee and then again about halfway through the shin. The foot looked similar to the Lurker-made one on the left, making Jak think Gol had found most of two legs, but had decided to make them both deformed instead of one good looking at the other off-key.

The left arm was attached up to only the elbow; below that was a giant storage tank connected to a pipe that looked suspiciously like the one Jak had seen on the end of the odd weapon the Yellow Sage and Boggy Billie both used. All of the additions were made out of the same dirty metal as the foot of the left leg. On both of the arms', the shoulder piece was protected by a shoulder pad made of the Lurker metal. It was curved inward so that it fit around the shape of the robot's arm and had three of the bone spikes on it curing up, with the largest in the middle.

The armor on the body was peeled away, leaving a lot of delicate circuitry revealed. In the center of the chest was the Green Eco Generator that the Lurkers had stolen about four months ago. Surrounding it was about eight small pieces of machinery, but Jak was unable to distinguish what they were exactly.

The right arm had the shoulder pad like the left, but this arm was in one piece. The armor plating of the underside of the wrist was missing, but other than that the artifact was in marvelous condition. Above the hand was a curious accessory: a heap of mocking metal with three long poles sticking out. At the end was a thick piece of glass, as well as another one at the beginning of the poles. Two tubes connected this apparatus to the rest of the normal arm. Each of the tips of the three fingers had small things that Jak couldn't make out connected to them, but Jak had a feeling that they couldn't be anything good for him.

The face was a circle a long snout going straight down. The right eye was missing and the Blue Eco Cannon that Samos said had been stolen from Zeorro was welded in the eyes place with the Lurker metal surrounding it so it didn't fall out. What looked like a giant death ray was positioned behind the head, with a long spine made of the imitation metal and spikes going down the back. Jak stopped looking intently at the Precursor Robot and listened to what Samos was saying to Daxter.

"Nothing, Daxter," Samos said as he breathed heavily, "we opened the shield. None of us have enough power to destroy the robot now. It's up to you two to figure out how to destroy it!

"Oh great…" Daxter whined. "This is, this just perfect. I get to help the guy who turned me into a fur-ball," he said as he gestured to Jak, "destroy the only nutcase who can turn me back!" Daxter finished this pronouncement by motioning to said Dark Sage. He froze and did a double take. He screamed and ran into Jak's hair, burying himself within the long locks of hair sticking straight up. Everyone else assumed a fighting position. Jak looked at Keira and moved his head, telling her to leave.

"I'm not going anywhere Jak!" Keira protested. Jak turned around fully and grabbed her. He took off and flew out of the window. He landed at the edge of the Citadel and pointed to the outside, saying that she needed to help the attack on the Citadel. Since she was not a Channeler, she would be of little help. Keira glared at Jak before realizing what he was thinking. Keira sighed and muttered, "fine." As she began to walk away she suddenly turned around and grabbed Jak. She pulled him into a fierce embrace and held him tightly. Jak put his arms around her back and they hugged for a few seconds. Unfortunately the situation would not allow for more than that and so they regretfully pulled away.

"Jak. I have something for you." Keira said as Jak began to leave. He turned back and Keira pulled another Eco Belt out of her backpack. He stared at it disbelievingly for a second before looking up at her. "I like to keep busy. And Jak," Jak turned around yet again. Keira leaned in as she gave him another hug. "You better come back alive, or I'll have to kill you." Jak smirked and pointed at himself as if to say, its me. Keira chuckled before setting off for the rest of the group. Jak watched her go before strapping on his newly filled Eco Belt and taking off for the chamber where he had left everyone. He suddenly felt a dark power rise up and began flying faster, trying to get there before it was too late…

* * *

Okay, so I'm updating a week late, sue me. (Sees lawyers appear from thin air and raises garlic and a cross to ward them off). Anyway, I hope I described the Precursor Robot decently, as well as chronicle Jak's journey. If anyone wants a picture of the Precursor Robot, just let me know and I'll email it to you, but it won't look exactly the same, since I added and changed a few things. See you all next weekend.

* * *

My Top Five Favorite Fanfictions. (They are listed alphabetically, not by preference.)

1. Surge by Amathist Fwirrel

2. The Jak and Daxter Prank War by animedragongirl

3. The Sage's Legacy by Light-Eco-Sage

4. There was Light and Darkness by Keeroshu

5. War of the Ancients by Red Mage 04

* * *

Quote of the week- Family Guy 

Lois: So we'll solve this problem.

Peter:Wait? You mean together?

Lois: Yes. Because together we can do anything: face any foe; overcome any obstacle.

Peter: Yeah, climb any mountain, rent any video, dial any phone! And not just our phone, Lois! Other people's phones! Decent phones! God-fearing phones! Phones that everybody else gave up on but we knew better because we were a team!

(Silence for a few seconds)

Brian (Looking up from his newspaper): What the hell are you talking about?


	28. Gol's Final Trap

Wow! A double. Yea, I'll shut up and let you read it, although be warned: psychological problems may follow.

* * *

Gol's Final Trap 

When Jak finally made it back to the chamber where he had left the Sages, he saw that there was now a shouting match going on. The four Sages were shouting at Gol who eventually made himself heard over everyone else.

"You're too late, Samos! Once I possess limitless Dark Eco, I will have the key to creation itself!" Gol shouted, the old maniacal look seeping back into his eyes.

"This is madness! Releasing that much Dark Eco will destroy everything we know! Just look at what it's done to YOU!" Alecis bellowed. Maia appeared in a puff of smoke, Gravis and Benedict appearing below her.

"It has given us a beauty beyond anything YOU could understand!" She proudly proclaimed. Daxter's face changed to resemble something between disgusted and sickened.

"'Beauty'? Have you two looked in the mirror lately!" He screeched. Maia glared at him.

"As I said, it is something that you could never understand." Daxter assumed a showy voice.

"Evidently, madam, you and I differ greatly on our perceptions of beauty." Jak cracked a smile at this statement before closing his eyes and shaking slightly with laughter.

Maia narrowed at the she considered to be an insolent rodent. "Just wait until we open the silos, little one. You think short and fuzzy is bad…"

"Enjoy your front-row seats to the re-creation of the world!" Gol screamed as he flew up to the robot.

"No!" Zeorro shouted, shooting a beam of Blue Eco at Gol and dragging him back down. Gol landed on the floor with Maia. The four Eco Sages surrounded them while Alecis and Tarea made their way over to the robot and began trying to shut it down. Gravis and Benedict made their way over to the two females, but Jak leapt in front of them, blocking the Sages from harm.

"You ain't gonna be winnin' this one Gol," Potentia said as he held his gun in one hand and activated a golden Eco Saber in the other.

"We won't let you," Samos said, twirling his staff and triggering his own Eco Saber in its emerald glory. Gol sneered at them before drawing an Eco Saber out of nowhere and turning it on, revealing its violet glow.

* * *

"I will aid you with these maggots brother," Maia said as she flew to assist her brother, only to be dragged back by Zeorro's staff. 

"You'll discover that to be reasonably problematical whilst confronting the two of us," he said as he initiated a cobalt Eco Saber and held his staff.

"You two have done enough damage for now. We won't you continue this quest for ultimate destruction," Santar said, lighting up his crimson Eco Saber and fiddling with a couple of switches on his outfit. Maia looked at the two of them before taking an Eco Saber off her belt and showing off its amethyst blade.

* * *

"Now now Jak. You've never beaten me, and Torqueo here is itching for a rematch. How on earth do you expect to defeat the two of us alone?" Jak blinked and did a double take on Benedict. He looked so different, even with the new eye and leg. He appeared to have aged at a faster rate. Where he had looked about Jak's age before, a month later he looked as if he had aged to about twenty-five. Jak guessed that this was due to the presence of Dark Eco in is system; unless your body is attuned to it, Dark Eco caused rapid aging, which of course led to a premature death of old age. 

"He won't be alone!" a voice shouted out before Margaret landed and stood next to Jak. Benedict's eye widened as he stared at his sibling.

"Margaret…" he whispered. Gravis glared at this unusual sign of affection from what until now had been a guiltless and soulless shell. Jak distracted him by summoning an Eco Blade and attacking. Gravis quickly summoned a Dark Eco Blade and began vying with the Channeler.

* * *

Benedict seemed to compose himself and he stared at his sister. "Gol had been expecting you to join us." 

"I know… brother." Margaret said, barely able to say the second word; her brother looked so different.

"So, you have accepted the truth." Benedict said triumphantly, afraid his sister would have rejected him.

"I've accepted the truth that you were once Benedict Riddle, my brother." Benedict's relieved face quickly turned to one of anger.

"That name no longer has any meaning for me." Margaret shook her head as she stared into her brother's one good transformed eye.

"It is the name of your true self. You've only forgotten. I know there is good in you. Gol hasn't driven it from you fully yet."

"You don't know the power of Dark Eco. I _must_ obey my master." Benedict said reflexively. His eye showed the conflict; the yellow and black that had been there for a month was now partially brown and white. The two raged back and forth, each trying with equal determination to dominate.

"Your thoughts betray you. I see the good in you… the conflict." Benedict closed his eye and turned away.

"Search your feelings. You can't do this. I feel the conflict within you. Let go of your hate." Benedict looked at her and she saw that the yellow was receding. Benedict was almost back. "Come back and help me and Jak!"

Unfortunately, that had been exactly the wrong thing to say. Benedict's eye opened wide as the yellow rushed forth and consumed his normally auburn gaze. "Jak! Look at what he has done to me! I'll never return to his side." Margaret looked at her brother sadly for a second before looking him straight in the eye. Benedict shivered as her gaze seemed to pierce his very soul.

"My brother is truly dead." Margaret said. This one statement caused the evil within him to triumph.

"You see! She has rejected you!" It roared.

"Yes…" Benedict muttered back.

"And she's allied herself with that murderous bastard," it said to him in a softer voice.

"Yes, she has" Benedict said, his voice now at a normal level.

"She'll have to be killed," it crooned to him.

"YES!" Benedict roared before launching himself at his own flesh and blood.

* * *

No one had noticed the doors had slammed shut and they were trapped in the room.

* * *

As Samos and Potentia charged Gol, Samos recalled the last time he had done this, he had lost. And now he was even weaker. Then again, he had Potentia to help him out, so the two of them might triumph over Go and prevent him from opening the Silos. Like last time, Samos put his mind to rest as he concentrated on the battle in the here and now. 

Gol brought his sword up in a horizontal slash, but Samos used a vertical block to stop it. Gol began spinning in the opposite direction and attacked, his cape keeping Potentia from seeing the hilt of the Saber. The light, however gave the Saber's position away and Potentia blocked the incoming assault. Although he blocked the Eco Saber, Potentia did not expect Gol to grab out with his fake hand and snatch his gun. Gol pulled on the gun, trying to take it away from Potentia, while said Yellow Sage was doing all he could to prevent such a thing from happening. What happened next was slightly comical: Samos slapped Gol's hand away using his staff. Gol deactivated his Eco Saber and blasted Samos away with a telekinetic blast. Potentia once again tried to snatch his gun back when he realized the muzzle of the gun was facing Gol. Shaking his head in disbelief that he could have missed it for so long, Potentia charged up a blast and Gol went flying back, his chest exposed because of the blast.

Samos rushed in and brought his sword down and to the left, but his weapon was deflected. Gol pushed Samos' sword back and copied the attack; he came down and to the left. Samos blocked and spun his sword around and came up and to the right, trying to slice off Gol's legs. Gol blocked the attack and backhanded Potentia in the jaw to prevent him from slicing him in half at the waist. The Yellow Sage backed off and brought his sword up behind his head before slamming it down just as Samos brought his across. Gol ducked under both attacks and the two swords impacted. As the Sages backed away from each other, Gol threw both of them away with a Dark Bomb.

Samos staggered back under the power of Gol and Gol swung down, trying to cut the elderly Sage in half from the head to the groin. Samos blocked and pushed his blade up, leaving Gol temporarily defenseless, and Potentia delivered another blast from his gun. Gol went staggering forwards, where Samos blasted him with a Green Eco Beam. Gol gritted his teeth as the two beams hit him and ate away his clothes before working on his skin. He let out a roar one would not think he could dish out as his power exploded and overrode the two beams before impacting the Sages. Samos and Potential got to their feet and made their way over to each other. Samos healed the two of them before they charged in again.

Gol growled in frustration as Potentia and Samos attacked as one. Their combos nearly shattered his defenses and he found himself desperately blocking and evading, unable to get a strategy going beyond trying to keep himself alive. At last, Gol caught a break and he turned the tables by throwing Samos back with a blow from his fake hand. He then struck out at Potentia, and now it was he that was desperately blocking Gol's furious attack, trying to avoid getting a hit scored upon him.

As Gol made a hit, his sword slipping through the Sage's raised blade to draw a line of blood from itsright side all the way up to his left collarbone, Samos had finally reentered the fight and slammed Gol in the side with a telekinetic blast. Gol went flying back, hovering above the ground to avoid hitting his head and getting a concussion.

Growling, Samos leapt at his opponent, bringing his Eco Saber down from above with all his strength. Gol called upon a technique he had done while fighting Samos the last time; he gripped his sword with two hands, his real one on the end of the grip, the fake gauntlet upon the end of the Saber itself. He held it horizontally, and succeeded in not only blocking the Sage's strike, but threw him back into the air, where he came in for a rather uncomfortable landing nearly ten feet away.

Immediately, Potentia flew in and Gol and was scarcely able to avoid being skewered, as Potentia had hurled his Saber at him. Gol dodged to the right before getting nailed by another blast of Yellow Eco. He growled and decided that the gun had to go. As Gol ran at Potentia, Samos got behind him. Realizing the severity of the situation too late to correct it, the vile elf felt its feet be knocked out from underneath him by the use of a mental blast.

As the Dark Lord began a trip to the ground, Samos slammed his tree bark shoe into Gol's back hard. The blow succeeded in driving the breath from Gol's lungs. His breathing situation did not improve at all when he hit the stone floor, nor did what follow help at all either. Samos stepped on Gol's chest and caved it in once more. As Samos prepared to kill Gol, the Dark Sage dropped his Saber and threw out both his hands. Samos formed a shield around himself as Gol charged a blast up, but another Yellow Eco Burst prevented this.

Gol shot a surprise scythe of Dark Eco and cut the gun of Potentia in half. Gol rushed in and Potentia swung his Saber as he tossed a myriad amount of small grenades at Gol. Gol shot a blast at Potentia that overwhelmed the small grenades and caused the Sage to go flying back.

"My Channeling abilities are far beyond yours." Gol said as Potentia defiantly got to his feet. Gol sighed before launching a stream of Dark Lightning. Samos shot a blast at Potentia that expanded into a shield and protected him from the onslaught.

Gol snarled and swung right for Samos' head but his attack was blocked. Gol swung his arms behind his back and tossed the Saber between them. With lightning speed, he came in to the left at Samos' midriff, but again was blocked, this time by the Yellow Sage.

Samos backed off an inch and stabbed, but his attack was parried away by his adversary. As he did this, Potentia spun around and aimed his Saber right at Gravis' head. To his annoyance, he was blocked along with Samos. Gol came in up and to the right, yet Samos proved to be just as fast as him. He swiftly parried an incoming blow to his chest from his heart's side from Potentia before both Sages came in low and in opposite directions. Gol was barely able to block both attacks but he managed somehow.

Samos did something one would have thought impossible given his age; a whole back flip over Gol's head and landing opposite him. Gol swung around to prevent his ears from being parted with the rest of his head. Potentia made a motion with his hand and Samos nodded. Potentia backed off and began concentrating his power.

"Master Hagia, you're disappointing me again. Surely you can do better than this feeble attempt?" Gol taunted as he twirled his blade and came in for Samos' shoulder and then his arm. Both attacks were blocked, and the two of them locked blades as they circled each other. Gol broke free and spun around. Samos blocked Gol' next three attempts on his life and they locked blades once more. Samos charged up a ball of Green Eco. He slammed it into Gol's body and it sent him flying back into a wall. Samos smiled with satisfaction as he heard a cracking sound he was fairly certain was caused by a few ribs breaking. Gol got to his feet and his body glowed with an un-light; a darkness that no light could penetrate. Dark Eco swept over his body and healed to weaknesses and injuries his frail body had been dealt.

As Samos rushed in, Gol shot a blast of Dark Lightning. Samos hastily erected a barrier to ward it off. Just as the Dark Lightning got to Samos' shield, it branched out everywhere and attacked from every angle. It eventually blasted through and the shield broke. Samos clenched his jaw, determined not to scream with the pain as nearly one and a half thousand volts of electricity entered his body, determined not to give Gol that sick pleasure. As it was, all he did was thrash around in mid-air until Gol stopped his attack. Samos collapsed on the floor, his body sweating and shaking. As Samos healed his body, he still felt the unbelievable quantities of pain it had just been put through. Gol raised his hand as Samos struggled to get to his feet and blew him back down with a clairvoyant blast. Samos fell backwards and Gol walked up to him. He raised his Eco Saber and prepared to strike down the old Sage.

"Now, it ends," he hissed as his blade came down. Samos closed his eyes and prepared for death when suddenly an enormous light almost seared his eyes. He opened his eyes and saw Potentia blocking Gol with his bare hands, his aura overwhelming even Gol's. Gol shot a blast at Potentia but it proved useless. Potentia shot a massive blast at Gol and did not relent when Gol impacted the wall. Even as he was being blasted away, Gol began to grin as the Eco impacted the wall. Potentia ran out of power after thirty seconds and collapsed on the floor. Samos rushed in as he saw that Gol was not been killed and was slowly healing himself. Gol sent the old Sage flying back with a blast as he walked over to Potentia.

The exhausted Sage was struggling to stay awake and bared his teeth as Gol knelt down. "Thank you. I was hoping you would use the Eco Wave technique. That was just what I needed." Gol left the Sage to ponder this enigmatic line before knocking him out with his metal glove. Samos got to his feet and his body began to sweat as Gol rushed in and he realized he was alone against the fury of the Dark Lord.

* * *

Gravis summoned two swords as Jak pushed forward, his improved swordsmanship showing itself as he was finally on par with the Lurker. Eventually Gravis caught a break and kicked Jak away. Jak began to rush in but stopped, utterly refusing to believe what his eyes were showing him. 

Two hands had emerged from the shoulders and were rapidly growing into full-blown hands. As Gravis finished his transformation from a four-limbed creature to a six-limbed one, he summoned two more Eco Blades so that he wielded four. Jak gulped and began to sweat as his opponent rushed in.

Gravis swung all of his Blades in different directions, angling his attacks in an attempt to overwhelm Jak. Jak desperately tried to block two Blades with each of his but it was quickly proving impossible. Gravis smirked as Jak began to back up under his assault. Gravis put two of his Blades away and used those hands instead as regular fists, albeit ones surrounded by dark Eco. He scored a few hits on Jak's chest, causing burn marks to appear and Jak to wince slightly as his skin became raw.

After his chest resembled nothing more than a red doormat, Jak erected a Green Eco barrier to keep Gravis away while he healed. He was surprised when Gravis simply tore through it and summoned four balls of Dark Eco. He slammed all four into Jak's chest and Jak went flying back, landing hard on the floor. He did not notice that the as his Blade hit the floor, it got shorter instead of slicing right through it. Jak got to his feet and healed himself, dispersing one of his Eco Blades as he did so.

"Committing suicide Jak?" Gravis taunted as Jak began Channeling Red Eco as he increased the size of his Eco Blade to what he had used against the Lurker Centipedes. As he rushed in, Gravis spun all of his Blades to make in utterly impossible to tell which way he was going to attack from. As he closed the distance, Jak began to focus his powers, but kept an impassive face so Gravis would not be able to figure out what he was up to. Just as Gravis began his attack, Jak unleashed a massive blast of fire, catching the sword-wielding Lurker off guard. As he went flying back, Jak swung his Blade and sent streams of Yellow Eco flying along the ground. Gravis landed in a heap from the sheer power of the fire blast Jak had hit him with. He let out a swear as he saw the ground-based attack traveling towards him. As he leapt over it, he heard something above and looked up only to get kicked in the face.

As Gravis went hurtling down, Jak sent another couple of slashes at him. These hit and Gravis cried out at the Eco ripped through his body, causing lacerations and incisions to appear everywhere. He quickly got to his feet, realizing that to remain on the floor would be bad. Jak landed and grabbed two of Gravis' arms before leaning back and kicking his enemy right in the face. Gravis staggered back and Jak jumped and flipped over his. As he began his descent, Jak summoned a Yellow Eco Blade and hoped what he was planning worked. Gravis spun around in a vain attempt to prevent Jak from inflicting the damage he wanted to but was not fast enough. Gravis screamed as Jak made his strike, but it was to be expected.

Such was usually one's reaction after having two arms hacked off.

As the appendages hit the ground, Gravis clutched his shoulders where they had been as he kneeled. Jak prepared to finished but stopped when winds started whipping violently around Gravis. As the Lurker raised his head, Jak became worried: all possible rational had been driven away from his opponent's eyes.

* * *

Margaret staggered back under the ferocious assault Torqueo inflicted upon her. She hadn't thought that he would really attack. A small naïve part of her had believed that he could never attack her, his own sister. She summoned Yellow Eco into her hands and blocked his strikes, her Yellow Eco clashing with his Dark Eco. The two of them fought in an almost synchronized pattern. This was to be expected, since they had similar martial art stances, being brother and sister and both having been trained by Jak. She ducked a furious roundhouse kick and slammed palms into his ribs, causing Torqueo to go reeling back, his chest exposed from the power of Yellow Eco. He healed the reddish raw skin that had appeared back to normal and lunged back at her. He sent a stream of Dark Eco Lightning at her and Margaret jumped over it. As she came down, she landed in front of him and he hesitated for a split second, sure that she would attack him. After not feeling anything for a second, Torqueo grabbed his sister by the throat and threw her away. 

Margaret got to her feet as she clutched her throat. Again, her naivety had put her under the belief that her brother would not be able to bring himself to hurt her. As she stared into his eyes as he walked towards her, she searched desperately for a trace of the warm soul she had known long ago. There was no trace of him anywhere. She steeled herself and attacked, Red Eco supplying her enough power to make him dodge the strike instead of letting it hit him. Undeterred, Margaret continued attacking, knowing that she would have to knock the sense back into her brother, even if it killed her. As she landed a kick to his chest that caused him to grab his ribs, she reflected on the fact that she would gladly sacrifice her own life if it would mean her brother would return to the way he used to be.

Torqueo snarled at the pain, and yet a part of him was happy. He had been afraid, if one had to put a name to the exact emotion he had felt, that his sister would not prove herself to be a worthy opponent. As she came in, he punched out with his metal arm and she was blown back by the wind it produced. As she lost her balance, Torqueo struck out again and caused her to fall over and roll for a while before stopping. As she struggled to her feet, Torqueo sent a third one at her and she skidded on the floor, her body being rubbed raw by the odd texture of the flooring.

Margaret got to her feet and glared at her brother, who sneered back. As he brought his fist back to bow her away again she shot a decent blast of Yellow Eco at him. He had not been expecting such a massive attack and his body went flying back against a wall. She rushed in and he blasted her with Dark Lightning.

Pain. That was the only thing that Margaret understood as the corrupted Eco made its way through her body, ravaging her systems and setting every nerve she had on fire.

As his sister screamed in pain, Torqueo stopped his assault.

"You see the power of Dark Eco?" he asked her. "You could command this power too if you would only, urf-" the rest of his sentence was cut off as his sister got up with blinding speed and socked him in the stomach. As he bent over, clutching the aching part of his body, Margaret changed from Blue to Red Eco and smashed her elbow down on her sibling's back. Torqueo instantly went rigid, his body paralyzed by the powerful blow. As he collapsed, Margaret seized him by his shirt and raised him up before delivering blow after blow to his stomach. He choked back blood as she ruptured some internal veins and arteries. As she continued, he could hold it back no longer and coughed blood right into her eyes.

Margaret dropped her brother and wiped her eyes off furiously. When she opened them, she saw a giant flash of purple light as a split-second warning that a Dark Beam was heading her way. Even though a Green Eco shield protected her, Margaret had to strain herself to keep it up, since this was a relatively new technique. As she was pushed back from the power of the blast, Torqueo healed his battered body and stood up, not as strong as he had been before, but still just as determined to bring his sister down if she would not join him.

Margaret gathered Yellow Eco around her hands once more and threw a punch at Torqueo. Said elf grabbed it with his fake hand and threw a punch at her. She caught it and the two of them struggled for dominance, streams of Eco scattering everywhere as the two types were forced against each other. Margaret did not notice, in her fury, that the Eco, rather than cause damage to the ground, seemed to be sucked into it. She also failed to notice that the Precursor Robot was starting to glow ever so slightly. She did, however, notice that her brother had leaned back and dropped to his back. As he lifted her up, Torqueo kicked her in the stomach and used a wonderful thing called momentum to send her flying backwards. As she got to her feet, Torqueo summoned every bit of power he had and sent a small but very concentrated beam of Dark Eco at her. Margaret quickly summoned a shield, but it was almost immediately broken due to the sheer power of the Dark Beam. Margaret expanded the shield and struggled to keep it up, scared of death. As Torqueo's eyes narrowed and he intensified the power of the beam, she cried out from the strain and fear as the beam broke through and headed for her.

* * *

Santar unleashed an explosion of flame at Maia, who leapt over the attack and charged Zeorro. The neurotic Sage brought his sword up in a horizontal block and intercepted a vertical attack. Santar brought his sword in and Maia twirled around and interrupted it. She brought her Saber down and to the left, aiming for the Blue Sage but again she was deflected. Santar pushed Maia's Saber back and copied her last attack; he came down and to the left. Maia blocked and spun his sword around and came up and to the right, trying to slice of Zeorro's legs. Zeorro blocked the attack and brought his sword up behind his head before slamming it down. 

Maia dodged the blow with relative ease and slammed a Dark Grenade into his body. As the Sage went flying back, Santar rushed in. As Maia swung her sword straight down, he blocked it with his own and grabbed it with his hand. After crushing it as easily as if it were a Nemotoid, Santar punched her in the chest and she went flying back.

Maia pried herself out of the wall and reentered the battle, a hole in her armor a testimony to Santar's unbelievable strength. She summoned Dark Eco and attacked, the Eco providing her with slightly enhanced speed and strength. Santar matched her easily, inflicting blow after blow as he dodged and blocked her attacks.

"What is going on?" Maia wondered as she tried to swing. An unknown power was slowing her down. She looked over at Zeorro and saw that he was slowing her down with his Blue Eco power. She flew at him and shot a blast of Dark Eco. When the dust cleared, there was no trace of his body left. Maia smirked as she resumed her duel with Santar. Now that Zeorro was not able to slow her down using his Econetic energies, she was more than a match for the Red Eco Sage.

As Santar was sent crashing down to the ground, Maia unleashed a gigantic blast of Dark Lightning at him. The sheer power of the initial blast knocked the Sage out, but Maia continued to inflict pain on the Sage, even if he was unable to feel it. Suddenly she sensed someone behind her and spun around but was blasted backward by an unknown force.

* * *

Gol let out a roar as he once again sliced wildly at Samos. Samos blocked his attack and appeared to work very hard to stop Gol's next onslaught. Samos finally caught a break and sent Gol flying into the wall hard enough to leave another silhouette of his body behind with a single psychic blast. 

After healing his body once again, Gol jumped right back in, attempting to catch Samos off guard by attacking after such a short amount of time after being dealt such a crushing blow. He failed and began resumed the duel with the old Sage.

Gol continued to drive forward as he came in from below and to the right, causing Samos to backpedal. Samos blocked the incoming strike with relative ease before ducking under a swipe that would have shortened him by a good foot or so. Gol stabbed and Samos parried the incoming blow, sending both their Sabers around in tow full circles before they broke apart. Gol stopped for only the instant he needed to get his Saber under control before coming in once more. Samos spun around and blocked another strike from Gol before realizing he would have to get the offensive back soon. The two exchanged blows with lightning speed as they tried to defeat one another.

Samos swung his head back to dodge yet another strike before arching his body back so that he did not get a gash in it. The old Sage parried another strike before spreading his arms out in a deliberate "come and get me, I'm right here," statement in an attempt to infuriate the Dark Lord.

It worked… to say the least.

Gol came in screaming as he called upon every trick and technique that he had in the book to try and just kill this infuriating old man. Samos caught an incoming stab and got in close with his opponent. The two of them bared their teeth and snarled at each other as they circled on the spot, each one grabbing and being grabbed at the same time.

Finally they broke apart and Samos shoved Gol back. The two of them raised their Sabers over their heads before restarting the duel. As they fought, they rotated on the spot so that they switched positions. Gol hissed at Samos as they eyed each other briefly before going at it again.

Samos unleashed a furious assault on Darth Akaron, causing the twisted elf to back up. Still Samos pressed on, his mythical fortitude and overcoming his failing power and causing Gol to have to open doors as he continued to back up.

Gol snarled at Samos and launched another Dark Eco Lightning blast at the Sage. Samos changed the angle on his Saber and the lightning rebounded upon Gol. Although Gol had not fired a strong blast, it was enough to stun him. Samos sent Gol flying back and the Dark Lord rolled on the ground before getting to his feet and looking around for Samos.

Said Sage came flying out of the darkness and turned on his Eco Saber. Gol took off into the air and hovered in flight, waiting. As Samos rushed him, Gol blasted Dark Lightning at Samos. Samos tried to deflect it with his sword but the force proved to be too much and it was blasted out of his grip. Samos reeled back slightly before the force of Gol's power. Samos stuck his hands out and the Dark Lightning gathered into a small ball. The two of them screwed up their faces in concentration as they both attempted to get closer. Samos closed his eyes under the strain and Gol pressed forward, believing the advantage to be his. Samos opened his eyes and Gol saw them burning. For the first time in a few years, fear clutched at Gol's heart as Samos extended his hands and the two of them got within an inch of each other.

Suddenly the force of the bolts dissipating almost as soon as they were created caused a backlash effect. Samos and Gol were both hurled backwards. However, while Gol floated gently down to the ground, Samos had run out of power and impacted the ground. _Hard_.

Gol began laughing insanely as he saw the old Sage lose consciousness again. Samos woke backup suddenly and tried to fire a Green Eco Bomb at Gol but something was wrong. As soon as he summoned energy, it left him suddenly. Potentia had awoken and was trying the same thing, but to no avail.

* * *

"Holy damn!" Jak thought as Gravis summoned two Eco Blades and attacked mercilessly. "I thought he was hard with four Eco Blades. I guess I gave him the proper motivation." Gravis brought his Blades down in an X fashion and Jak blocked him, locking Blades. Jak shoved upward and Gravis leapt back, neither caring the other saw them gasp for breath. 

Gravis eyed Jak as he tensed up and he leapt at the same time as the Channeler. He blocked an incoming strike as Jak spun around and attacked with his back turned. Gravis attempted to end the fight right then and there with a blow to the back of the head but Jak must have sensed it coming. Gravis crossed his arms as he lashed out yet again at Jak and even through his rage was surprised at the speed with which Jak blocked and countered. Jak ducked and back flipped as Gravis spun around and made a slash and stab at the same time. He rushed back in with an overhead chop and the two of them mêlée for a while, swinging their Sabers so fast it would have been impossible to differentiate them had they not been different colors. Indeed, Jak found himself almost guessing at which Blade of Gravis' was which, they both moved so fast.

Jak knocked away both of Gravis' Blades with one parry and stabbed at the open chest, but Gravis simply jumped over Jak with a flip and some twirls. As he landed, Gravis assumed a combat stance and ran in, holding one of his Blades knife-style. He charged and attempted to sheer Jak in half with the Blade farther away from Jak, but did not succeed. As he ran past Jak Gravis swung the Blade that was closer backwards and bared his teeth at nothing in particular when he felt it stop. He continued spinning and swinging, giving himself a dradle-like appearance. Jak blocked the incoming strikes that were varied in height and once or twice had to jump or duck to avoid being cut in half. As the strikes became faster, Jak knew he wouldn't be able to block fast enough and he started to back-peddle. It was a move that would prove to be a mistake. The mistake showed itself when Gravis threw a spinning back kick and caught Jak right in the ribs, since he had been preoccupied with the Blades.

As Jak skidded along the floor, he raised himself and charged in at Gravis, who easily brought his dark Blade down to block the attack, and then ducked beneath a kick that the Channeler had aimed at him. Quickly, the Lurker swung his weapon exposed back, only to find Jak's own Saber coming back to intercept it, forcing his towards the ground. Jak completed his rotation and caused Benedict to spin around. With a battle cry, Gravis continued spinning and attempted to backhand Jak with his metallic forearm, a blow that Jak only just avoided.

The Channeler performed a back flip, and landed a good five feet away from Gravis before bringing his Eco Blade up to an attack position and glaring at his opponent. Gravis did the same with his two, and for several moments, there was another lull in the fight while the two of them slowly circled one another, each trying to find a weakness, something that could be exploited.

This time, it would be Gravis that struck first, leaping forward and bringing his dark weapon up from below in an attack that would have cut Jak from his left hip to his right shoulder had Jak not parried. Not discouraged in the slightest, Gravis pressed his attacks, slicing to and fro as he attempted to bring his opponent down.

However, Gravis' offense was stolen away when his enemy suddenly kicked his hand and dispersing one of his Eco Blades before following through with a thrust kick to his chest that cracked a rib and sent him staggering. Unfortunately, as Jak brought his own weapon down in an attempt to split the dark creature's head open, Gravis was able to get his foil up in time to deflect the attack. The two blades grated against each other for a few seconds, sending sparks flying as the two adversaries snarled in each others faces as they grinded their weapons into each other even harder, as if hoping theirs would simply cut through the other's.

Abruptly, Jak broke the blade lock and backed away, balling up his left fist. Gravis let out a curse as the Channeler sent a torrent of Eco bolts at him as he furiously weaved his own Eco Blade back and forth as he frantically backpedaled in an attempt to get some distance between himself and his foe. Oh how Gravis would have loved to have the power to deflect incoming Eco blasts as Jak could do with his unique armor.

Such were Gravis' thoughts as he leapt into the air in order to avoid a charged up blast from the Eco using elf's arms. And it was also at that time that he decided that he'd need to get up close and take away Jak's ranged abilities, as he didn't really want to use any Dark Eco unless he lost his weapon; he was running low from forming Blades and then having them lost.

As he attempted to close the distance, Jak opened fire once more, and Gravis leapt forward and to his left, performing a barrel role type spin while in mid-leap, his purple weapon deflecting a few bolts that came close as his foe adjusted his aim. Gravis performed the maneuver again but to the right this time, trying to throw Jak off, before a third leap straight towards Jak placed him back in melee range.

Roaring in fury as he blocked the elf's opening attacks, Gravis swung with all of his enhanced might. Jak saw the amount of power behind the technique and opted to duck below the slash, rather than attempting to block it. In addition, the wisdom of such an action was revealed an instant later, as the Channeler continued through with his acrobatics, and brought his right foot slamming up into Gravis' face as he pushed off with his left.

Gravis felt stars explode in front of his vision as the kick, driven by Jak's considerable strength, connected. In a blind attempt to buy himself some time, he slammed one of his feet into the ground and a stream of Dark went right at Jak.

Jak, still in the process of landing from his flip, had no time to react, and bared his teeth in defiance as the blast connected and made him go flying back. As he got to his feet and healed his cooked skin, Jak leapt once more, using Blue Eco to stay in the air this time and go up and over Gravis before coming down in an attempt to get rid of him once and for all.

Unfortunately for the elf, his foe was able to spin out of the way in time, and he lashed out with his arm in a punch. On the bright side of things, Gravis' blow was made hastily, and as a result, was quite maladroit and unproblematic to avoid. Such a move also put the Lurker in a rather compromising position, something that Jak was swift in taking advantage of. He quickly dispersed his Blade and grabbed the Lurker's wrist with a cross grip. He pulled the arm up and shot his other arm underneath. He then bent the arm along the elbow, causing immense pain in the wrist. As Gravis struggled he only made it worse. Jak continued spinning around and was back to back with the Lurker. He bent forward and slammed Gravis into the ground, cracking some vertebrae. As Gravis tried to rise, Jak kicked him in the face, leapt up, and came smashing down on his elbow.

At first Jak mentally commended Gravis when he made no sound of pain.

Then he realized that Gravis had merely passed out from the pain.

Jak shook his head, unable to believe that he had finally defeated his opponent. A scream of pain made him look over to where Margaret was and he realized she was in trouble. Jak quickly took off to her with every intention of helping her defeat her twisted brother.

* * *

Of all the ways Margaret had thought she would die, this had not been one of them. Killed by her own brother who had fallen to the side of the Dark Lords. As she braced herself for what she assumed would be an extremely painful death, Margaret felt only two twinges of regret: that she had not brought her brother back to the light; and she had never had a good opportunity to say goodbye to George. 

After a few seconds of feeling no pain, she looked up and saw that Jak was standing in front of her, trying to maintain a shield against the beam. It was easier for him since he was more used to using this technique, and because he was firing a beam of Yellow Eco out of the Green Eco shield, but that wasn't saying much. He was sweating and shaking from the exertion of trying to preserve the shield and fire a beam that came nowhere near the power of Torqueo's. There was a simple reason for this: fatigue. Jak was still tired from his duel with Gravis, and defending and attacking at the same time was by no means an easy feat.

Jak looked behind him to Margaret and motioned with his head for her to leave.

"No way Jak. There's no way I'm gonna leave you here to die," Margaret said furiously as she got to her feet. She pressed her chest against his back and stuck her arms out in front of his. Summoning every last bit of power in her body, Margaret launched a Yellow Eco Beam that went through the shield and pushed back the Dark Beam with such speed that Jak knew that there was no comparing Benedict and Margaret. When she used her emotions properly instead of letting them rule her, she became more powerful than anything Jak had yet to see.

Torqueo was blasted back by the sheer power of Margaret's attack. As he hit the wall, the Eco plowed into him, causing his hair to be burned off once again. The Eco that did not hit him went into the wall, where it was mysteriously sucked into the border. Right before he lost consciousness, Torqueo thought that he was going to die: he now had no stomach. The only good thing that the beam did to him was sear the skin so that he didn't bleed. With his last conscious breath, Torqueo damned his sister and Jak to the lowest level of Legatee.

* * *

"You!" Maia hissed. 

"Me," Zeorro said calmly before rushing in so fast he appeared as little more than a blur. Maia snarled as she parried and thrust in the duel with the Blue Sage. Zeorro sank into the ground and came up behind her. Maia spun around, but not fast enough to avoid being picked up and tossed around like a beanbag.

Maia struggled to keep awake as Zeorro slammed her into the ground repeatedly. Suddenly she fell to the ground. Fell not was slammed into.

"How dare you attack my sister?" Gol hissed as he zapped Zeorro with Dark Lightning. The Blue Sage didn't respond, but that was quite understandable. It was natural not to talk while screaming in agony. Maia joined her brother and together the two Dark Lords put Zeorro into so much pain that he simply passed out.

"It is finished brother," Maia said, her eyes widening in delight.

"Yes sister, at last, victory is ours," Gol said as the trap he had prepared finally sprang.

* * *

Jak tried to concentrate on healing Margaret but he heard a rumbling sound that distracted him. He looked over at the robot and saw its eyes activate. The entire room seemed to freeze. Gol screamed in triumph as one by one the Sages fell, exhausted and drained of their Econetic energies. 

"But… how?" Margaret whispered.

"Foolish wench!" Maia said in joy. "This room is a giant piece of technology. Every single time you all fired Eco, the room absorbed it and sent it to the robot. With the collective powers of four Sages, three Channelers and Gravis, the robot now has enough power to move. Let it be known that it is _your_ fault that we can now open the Silos." The two Sages laughed insanely as they flew into the robot and closed the compartment above the eye. Jak stared hopelessly as the robot fired up and a massive door opened in the Citadel. Jak continued to watch in a sort of stupefied gaze as rockets on its feet powered up and it took off.

"Jak! Do something!" Margaret shouted, but for once, Jak was at a loss for what to do. He had failed. Despite his best efforts, in spite of actually wounding Gravis, even though he had fought valiantly and gallantly, he had failed to prevent Gol and Maia from activating the Precursor Robot. He had even helped them. However, just as he was about to lose himself in despair, Keira's face shimmered in his mind. He heard her speak as clearly as if she was standing right next to him.

"Don't give up Jak. I know you can beat them!" Jak pulled himself back; why should he despair now when everything was on the line. He might not have been able to prevent Gol and Maia from activating the Precursor Robot, but that didn't mean he had to let them just open the Silos without a struggle. He could still fight them. If he couldn't beat the Robot, then maybe he could stall Gol and Maia long enough so the Sages could awaken and find a way to shut it down.

* * *

"Keira, there you are." Hatu called out as the mechanic finally linked up with her team. She was surprised to see a couple scores of individuals behind them and looked at Kumiro questioningly. 

"What can I say. Once people learnt what Gol was planning to do, the idea of a revolt was quite popular." he said, shrugging. Keira grinned at him as the entire town, most of them regular citizens armed with only what they could find. Keira loaded her Eco Saber into the launcher in her right glove before turning around and preparing for what she hoped would be the final battle.

* * *

"We are nearing the battle my king." A voice hissed in the shadows as the group continued their journey underground north. 

"What is their location?" The addressed figure inquired.

"One half a mile away from the Dark One's Citadel." Another figure said in a clear voice.

"Are you sure about this Escuro? You used to serve him after all." A female asked. At least, it sounded like a female; in the lack of light it was impossible to tell exactly what the gender of the creature that spoke was, if it even had a gender.

"I am sorry. I cannot help you if it means helping him. He cheated me. He promised me life after death and only suspended me in limbo. I want to finally be able to do some good in the world with this horrible curse," Escuro said as she marched with the rest of the group.

* * *

Jak took off to the top of the Citadel and was surprised but pleased to find Eco Vents: all four of them. He stood in each one, refueling for the difficult task he had at hand. At the Yellow Eco Vent, Jak charged up two Eco Blades, both of them six feet long. Jak saw a floating disk made out of Precursor metal and stepped on it. It began heading for the Silos at a rapid pace. Jak looked grimly at his foe, knowing what even the tiniest slip-up would mean. A certain weight on his shoulder made Jak realize that he wasn't alone. 

As Jak looked at his friend, Daxter held up his hand. "Jak, before you say anything, let me get this out. You've been preparing for this for a couple of months now. I'm gonna be right in there with ya. I won't leave you now. We're gonna take this thing down together."

Jak nodded, that last word sounding so sweet.

"Together," Jak thought. "I'm not alone." Daxter was right. They had come to far as one to be separated now. Whatever that thing threw at him, he and Daxter would face it.

Together.

* * *

Well, two more chapters to go. Hopefully, I will have 29 up Sunday afternoon/evening and the final one up by Monday.

* * *

My Top Five Favorite Fanfictions. (They are listed alphabetically, not by preference.) 

1. Surge by Amathist Fwirrel

2. The Jak and Daxter Prank War by animedragongirl

3. The Sage's Legacy by Light-Eco-Sage

4. There was Light and Darkness by Keeroshu

5. War of the Ancients by Red Mage 04

* * *

Quote of the week- Debra Barone (Everybody Loves Raymond) 

Debra: Yea, those are the seven little words everyone wants to hear: "I love you. There I said it."


	29. Struggles for the Future

As usual, this is in case you did not recieve my reply to the reviews that I sent everyone.

* * *

Amathist Fwirrel- Yup, Benedict Riddle, the two worst guys ever. Benedict Arnold and Tom Riddle. swats away gun and gives you a chain machine gun, rocket launcher, and three armor piercing shells along with three high explosive shells. Thanks for the comment on the Eco-Absorbing Chamber, since I was a bit anxious over how that one would turn out.

Red Mage 04- Yup, Gol is nefarious indeed. As to your hopes, you will have to wait. Quite a while. Hehehehehehehe. I think I give myself the proper amount of credit, since my writing is mediocre at best. Your story would be a masterpiece even if no one gave you any ideas, because you, unlike me, are a wonderful writer. Yes! Daxter annoyed her. I love Daxter, he's so… irritating. But in a good way.

Keeroshu- Two reviews. Thank you very much (grins). I have been busy, writing four chapters. Struggles for the Future and Chapter 30 are almost done, and I finished Gol's Final Trap before Gol's Citadel and A Few Familiar Places. I couldn't figure out how to rescue the Sages, and then it came to me. Imprison them at the Temples. And that place where Alecis was rescued will come up again, don't worry. Yup, the big finale is split up, and hopefully the final chapter will make everyone happy. Aw, I was hoping you would update There Was Light and Darkness. Ah well, I cant have everything in life. Well, when you do get around to it I'm sure it'll be fantastic. Well, here's one of the two, hope you like the twist I put in.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, save the extra characters that I came up with. And anything else my sick demented mind has cooked up that was not good enough for Naughty Dog.

* * *

Struggles for the Future

Keira gazed out over the soon-to-be battlefield and thought about the journey here. It had started four and a half months ago. Keira smiled to herself; she remembered the last time she had seen Daxter in an elfin form…

* * *

Keira walked out of the house, having finally finished the blueprints for the heat Shield to install on the A-Grav Zoomer. With luck, it would be up in a couple of days and then she Jak and Daxter could travel abroad like they had planned. She stopped by Jak's but the two of them weren't there. As she passed Tweetledov's house, she looked in and could see they weren't there either. That left only one other place: Sentinel Beach. As she walked there, Keira put her hands behind her head and stretched, reveling in the fact that school was almost over. One more year and she would be able to get a full time job as a mechanic instead of just tinkering around. Jak had already agreed to help her out. Keira grinned as she remembered the eager look he had when she had asked him to be the demonstrator. Jak was always there for her when she needed him. Keira shook her head back to the present as she heard scuffling noises coming from ahead. Sure enough, by the time she arrived Jak had gotten Daxter into a headlock. The two of them wrestled, or rather, Daxter tried in vain to escape. Neither of them noticed Keira until she called out at them.

"Knock it off, you two." Jak let Daxter go and turned around to face her. Keira smiled at him and looked at him. Jak had a funny dazed look about him: he was staring straight at her but it seemed he didn't see her. She stood on her tiptoes but Jak didn't respond.

"Jak? Are you ok?" she asked after about thirty seconds. By this time, Daxter had stopped wobbling around and decided to enter the conversation (as always).

"He's hopeless Keira, he's been staring off into space all day." Jak shook his head and the three of them had gone off to mooch off her father for a bite to eat…

* * *

Keira pulled herself out of happy memories as she saw the Lurker army get ready. "Ready bowmen?" She called.

"Ready!" a chorus of voices answered. The bowmen pulled back on their bows as Keira made a motion to prepare to open fire for the rest of the villagers. She knelt down, readied her bow, and fitted an arrow into it, waiting for the Lurkers to get close enough to let the bowmen launch their weapons.

"FIRE!" Keira shouted. The bowmen released the wires they were holding and arrows that were literally the size of trees were launched at the Lurkers. As they landed, the trees rolled around, basically mowing down the Lurker army. Still, they marched on. Not deterred in the slightest, Keira made the fire motion to her group, which proceeded to send a rainstorm of arrows down into the army. Death rained from the skies as the arrows dug into the skin, killing everything they came in contact with.

As the Lurkers continued, Keira looked though her goggles and saw that there were a majority of runts. Scouts, Generals, Warriors, Fliers and Wasps made up the army, but the larger and smarter species were gone. Keira fired her Eco Saber, which traveled in a boomerang fashion. As she caught it, Keira started slicing everything nearby. Hatu had trained her partially in using a sword, so she wasn't a complete novice.

As the battle wore on, it soon became apparent that Keira's team was going to be beaten by sheer numbers. For every villager that fell, about fifty Lurkers fell, but they still kept coming. Keira ducked a swipe made by a Warrior and impaled it on her sword.

"Help!" A man's voice called. Keira looked over to the source of the voice and saw a large beefy man being overrun by Lurkers- his axe beginning to become obsolete. Keira loaded her Eco Saber into her glove and launched it, taking care that it wouldn't harm the elf. As she ran toward him, she retrieved her Saber and cut down the three Lurkers that remained.

"Oh thank you so much! Hey, wait. I recognize you. Your that girl that boy that came in likes."

"What?" Keira asked, not having a clue as to what the man was talking about. He looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on where exactly she had met him.

"Don't cha remember? You and that two colored hair kid came by to see the teleportation device we have in our city." Keira's eyes widened as she remembered the man, Tank, if she wasn't mistaken.

"Yea. I remember. Tank right?"

"That's me."

"I remember that tour so well. It was a great opportunity to be able to see the… the…" Keira's voice trailed off as she ran a hand through her hair. An idea had just occurred to her. An insane idea, but an idea nonetheless.

"You okay there?" Tank asked, waving a hand in front of her face.

"Yea, yea. Hey, that teleportation device you guys have, how far does the range extend."

"You mean how far can you go?"

"No, I mean how many can you teleport at once?"

"Oh, however many can fit in three hundred square feet."

"And you can change where they teleport to?"

"You can indeed."

"Okay. This is my idea," Keira said as she whispered a plan in to his ear. His eyes widened and he looked down at her with newfound respect.

"That just might work." He said. "I and my brother Dozer will have to work pretty darn fast to get it done, but we can do it."

"All right then. We have to get everyone back to The City of the Sky." Keira shouted as she began rallying people to go back to the city. At inquiries to if they were surrendering Keira simply said no and that she had a plan. The entire village retreated back to the city, with the Lurker Army tailing them, believing the advantage to be theirs.

"Come on guys," Keira shouted as they ran for The City of The Sky. The Lurkers gave chase and didn't allow the villagers to slow down even a tiny bit. Keira stopped and fired her Eco Saber, decapitating the line in the front before she caught up with everyone else. She pulled out a communicator as she ran along.

"Dozer, this is Keira. Do you read me?" There was static for a few seconds before the person on the other side responded.

"Read you loud and clear Keira. What do you need?"

"We're making our way back. Ready the teleportation device."

"Did the Lurkers prove too hard to defeat? Because we have extra supplies here if you need-"

"No, we need to come back. Tank and I have a plan"

"Well all right, if my bro trusts you then I do too. Just let me know when you need me to throw the switch."

"Kay." Keira said before shutting her communicator off. The City of The Sky was drawing nearer: soon the plan she had thought up would be able to be carried out.

After ten more minutes of sprinting, the group was in range. "Now Dozer!" Keira shouted into her communicator. Immediately, the circles on the bottom portion of the city glowed yellow and beamed them all up. After she recovered from the intense cold, Keira stood up and started fiddling with the controls.

"Hey, what are you doin'?" Dozer asked as he made a move as though to grab her shoulder. A large beefy hand caught his. Dozer looked up to see his brother Tank.

"Relax man, she knows what she's doing."

"Got it!" Keira cried triumphantly. "Okay, I need you guys to stand by that lever," Keira said as she pointed to a spot near a glass window.

"But that's the-" Dozer started to say before Keira cut him off.

"Just do it!" she snapped. Dozer gulped at the gaze she gave him and hurried to join his brother. Keira aimed the teleportation device at the approaching Lurker army and teleported them all up to the city. As they materialized inside the glass room, Keira shouted for Dozer and Tank to pull the lever. As the lever moved, a hatch covering the floor was removed and the Lurkers fell to the ground. Most died a rather unpleasant death, while others were simply paralyzed due to the severing of their spine.

Still more Lurkers appeared, and as the army was moved from the ground to the city and then back to the ground, the villagers cheered. Finally, they were all gone. Keira sat back with a sigh of relief.

"Where's the city's supply of Green Eco?" she rasped out.

"I'll get out some," Tank said.

"No. Get enough for everyone. We have to go back down there." At this statement the entire town let out a shout protest.

"What? Why?" Dozer asked. Keira threw a glare at the villagers, who immediately silenced as they saw her eyes narrow.

"Look, I've been fighting Lurkers almost half my life. I'm not stupid, and you shouldn't let this small victory cloud your judgment. There were only weak Lurkers there: the mass of the army is still out there, waiting to take us by surprise. My guess is they started getting ready when they saw us 'retreat.' If we strike now and take them by surprise, before they can rally their troops, we might win the war." Silence followed this pronouncement- no one had thought of the current situation like that.

"We can heal and get some new equipment, but then we go back, all right?" Keira said. A few people grumbled, but the majority of the town cheered; to be rid of the Lurkers permanently would be a dream come true to them.

As Keira materialized in front of Gol's Citadel she wondered how Jak was doing. She knew she shouldn't worry, but at the same time she couldn't help it. She shook herself mentally: she was being stupid; she had watched him take down forty odd Lurkers on Misty Island that time he had gone back…

* * *

She watched as Jak climbed the wall and wondered why he had looked down. She followed where he was pointing to Daxter and saw Lurkers swarming the side of the canyon. As he climbed over a wall she ran back to her house and climbed her father's observation tower. She could see clearly as three Scouts attacked at once from different directions. Jak leapt into the air, spinning and kicking at the same time. All three fell to the ground, hugging what Keira would assume were broken ribs. As he landed, Jak rolled into a somersault and launched himself at a Lurker Worm. His shoulder slammed into its chest, and he heard it gasp for breath. Jak grabbed the tail and swung it around, sending the two Scouts and a General that had been foolish enough to charge him flying over the coliseum wall.

Jak slammed the Worm into the ground, severing its spine. As the Lurkers surrounded Jak, Keira wished that she had gone with him to help. As it was, all she could do was watch helplessly as he fought valiantly for his life. She narrowed her eyes as she saw Daxter quietly steal away from Jak. When and if he ever got back, Keira decided she was going to give that rat a thrashing he would never forget. Jak was now ignoring the Lurkers and looking around, no doubt scanning the area for his friend. The Lurkers noticed his distraction, and decided to strike. Jak quickly did a back flip, causing two Worms to become entangled. As he landed, Jak kicked out his legs, taking out two more Scouts. As his feet touched the ground, he dropped down and tripped a General. As it started to fall, Jak rose up and delivered a sidekick right to its ribs, causing the rib cage to shatter. Jak grabbed the Red Eco that had flowed out of the broken armor, and smiled.

Jak ran right at a trio of Worms, who were unprepared for what they considered to be a suicidal attack. As they charged, they found out what a bowling pin felt like after getting run over by a steamroller. As they fell, Jak rammed his shoulder into a Scout who knocked out two more as it went flying backwards. Keira cheered as Jak continued to mow down Scouts; seven more had fallen before she saw the reddish glow he had around his body fade. Three Worms, who had been waiting for the opportunity, slithered out of the shadows and wrapped their bodies around Jak. Keira felt as though she were in a horror film: watching her friend die and being unable to do anything about it. She saw a Red Eco Orb move toward him and had to do a double take. Eco Orbs did not usually move on their own. She made out an orange thing moving it and immediately took back every bad thing she had ever said about Daxter. She thought about giving him a hug, but then imagined what that shameless pervert would get out of it and immediately settled for being nice to him and asking her father to lighten up…

* * *

As the other villagers appeared, Keira readied her crossbow and saw everyone else do the same. The doors of the Citadel opened and now the tougher species came streaming out: the Berserkers (thankfully without the Power Cells in their chest), Trolls and Centipedes. The arrows rained down like death, and a large amount of the army fell before they got within a hundred feet. When they got within that range, the bowmen reloaded their tree trunks and just obliterated them by the dozens. The villagers cheered as the army slowed down, a sign that it was damaged. They were all so focused on the Lurkers that they did not even sense that there were other life forms just below the battle…

* * *

"They are losing," one of the creatures murmured.

"Yes," another sighed. "I was hoping that we would not have to get involved, but it is unavoidable now."

"We will need your help Escuro," the one in front said.

"I cannot help you," the demon replied.

"What?" the leader hissed. "We rescued you and you pledged your allegiance to us, and now you would revoke you duty, _our duty_?"

"I wish to do my duty Master."

"Then why will you not help us?"

"Because if we win the battle we will lose the war. If Gol is not killed, it is true that Dark Eco will be without a master, without one to set a boundary on it. And it is true that it will rage out of control and do whatever it wants, destroy. But that might not happen for five hundred years. If Gol wins, however, the balance will be more thrown out of proportion than ever and this planet will not last a year."

"I do not agree. We will stop them from killing the Dark One, and then stop the Dark One from opening the Silos." Escuro opened her mouth as if to argue, but couldn't do it.

"They'll know I'm right in the end," she thought bitterly to herself. But even knowing that the planet was on the line couldn't bring her to try to defy these people that had taken her in.

* * *

"Lets go!" Hatu and Wartstal shouted. Once the villagers had found out that those two Lurkers were on their side, they had dressed them in elfin clothing. It was as much a sign of acceptance as it was a way for the two Lurkers to distinguish themselves. Thanks to the clothes, the two Lurkers had been able to direct attacks and be in the thick of things without fear of being cut down. Of course, there was always one idiot, and that was to be one villager who had protested the two Lurkers serving with them despite the fact that they had been in the town for five days and not caused any trouble.

That man was still cowering in a corner after Keira had yelled at him, muttering incomprehensibly to himself.

Hatu and Wartstal were torn about the battle. Although they wanted to stop Gol, they wished that they did not have to kill so many of their brethren. This didn't stop them from using their Eco Sabers to cut through countless Lurkers.

"Hatu look out," Wartstal shouted as a Troll tried to sneak up on his brother. Hatu apparently didn't hear him, so Wartstal did the only thing he could think of: he threw his Eco Saber. It spun around and cut the Troll's head clean off. Unfortunately, that left Wartstal without a weapon. He quickly began using the martial arts style that he had learned by watching Jak, one that adopted swiftness and flexibility over outright strength, though the last quality certainly didn't hurt.

Wartstal kicked a Scout in the chest before grabbing another one with his foot. After crushing its skull, Wartstal slammed it face first into the ground. Another one came at him and he bent forward, wrapping his leg back around his body so that it came up from behind and grabbed the second Scout. He brought his foot back and released the second Scout so that it went flying back. As he landed on that foot he continued spinning and threw the first one he had grabbed so that it joined its dead companion. A Warrior bashed its way up to him and Wartstal received a blow to the body that simply popped a piece of flesh out of his back. As his skin healed and his internal organs grew back, Wartstal rolled to the side to avoid being skewered. He grabbed the sword the Warrior had imbedded in the ground and swung it around. As the Warrior fell to the ground in pieces, Wartstal threw the sword in the direction of the Citadel, where it hopefully killed a few more Lurkers. Suddenly he received a crushing blow to the back of his head. He fell to the ground and turned around just in time to see a sword rushing in.

* * *

Hatu spun around when he heard a hissing sound and saw a Troll keel over, an Eco Saber imbedded in its gut. He grabbed it out and looked around. He saw his brother get surrounded and he began spinning and twirling his Sabers around, becoming a literal tornado of death. Limbs were cut off and guts were spilled everywhere as his twin Sabers danced around, carving through armor and flesh as if it were wet toilet paper. He got to his brother just as he received a blow to the head by a Troll and crumple to the floor. Hatu lunged forward and made two lightning quick blows; one cutting off the Troll's arm and the other his head.

"Brother. Are you all right?" Hatu asked as he helped his kin to his feet.

"I think so," Wartstal replied as he took his Eco Saber out of Hatu's extended hand. The two of them got to their feet and resumed their battle, this time staying closer to each other so they wouldn't be separated again.

* * *

"Keep goin' guys!" Keira shouted as they drove the Lurker army back bit by bit. Suddenly the ground began to shake.

"What's goin' on?" Tank asked as a crack began to appear. No one bothered to answer as the crack extended into a circle. Suddenly the ground exploded, leaving a thirty-foot crater. Well, more of a giant hole, since a crater implied that the ground was simply indented. Suddenly, creatures began emerging from the darkness. Creatures were the only word Keira could use to describe them, for they weren't fully elfin, and yet they weren't Lurkers.

One of them was a pale blue. Fairy like wings sprouted from her back, giving her appearance of a type of fairy. Her arms were long and slender, and her fingers seemed to be made up of little rings rather than actual flesh. She was cloaked in tight fitting dark blue clothes. Connected to each arm was a long curved scythe that went up to the shoulder. They flipped out so that they were forward: in perfect position to carve through anything the host desired. Her blonde hair flowed down her shoulders to her lower back, where it was curled around her waist and utilized as a belt.

Another creature crawled out, this one obviously a male. He heaved himself out bit by bit with his hands. As he emerged fully from the darkness, Keira let out an audible gasp. His yellow skin looked as though it were made out of armor. While she could see that it actually was skin with the zoom function on her goggles, it certainly didn't look it from a glance. His two legs were able to bend in every direction and had suction cup like feet, since they stuck to the rock and came off with a slight pop that could be heard in the total silence. Attached to his waist was a belt with a small hilt on it not unlike the ones for Eco Sabers. As he slipped, both of his feet attached themselves to the wall and he flipped himself back up. As he hauled himself back up, his bulky arms that ended in three curved claws that met in the middle aided him immensely. The shoulders had five long spikes sticking out of it that were placed in an X fashion which only added to his bizarre and frightening appearance. His face was bulky, as though it were made out of bits of rock. Burning red eyes, with cat-like slits for pupils, were set far apart. The pupils expanded slightly in the light and the creature looked down as another one of its kin emerged.

Said mutant came into view fairly quickly. This one's body was covered in clothes, making its gender impossible to determine, but Keira thought that by the way it moved it was probably male. Its hands ended in claws that were half an inch long that dug into the stone quite easily with a slight hissing sound. He had a sword attached to his hip, and as he crawled up, the air around him shimmered and became distorted, as though he was so hot he was affecting the atmosphere directly around him. As he reached the ground, the mutant took off his cloak s everyone could see his fiery red skin. Two spikes that curved up were set above his yellow, pupil less eyes. As Keira zoomed in on him, she saw that his skin was set in a serpent like pattern, with the skin really being small scales set in an intricate pattern.

The bottom of the hole grew brighter as another figure emerged. Again, Keira was able to ascertain that it was a female by the way its hips moved when it climbed. Unlike the other one, who was built solidly, this one was clearly not a fighter, or if she was, she probably didn't try to use her muscles. Keira could tell that she had more muscle than this flimsy creature, but she was quick to remind herself that that probably meant that it had some kind of powerful ability that would catch the opponent off guard. Dark grey covered her chest like a swimsuit, with the stomach revealed. The pants reached down about halfway between her knee and her ankle, leaving a little of her leg to be seen by the public. Keira wondered why the female adorned herself in dark grey, since it was a color that contrasted greatly with her skin. Her arms shone golden, like the lights used to light up the tree at Christmas and had armor similar to Jak's, only made out of Precursor armor. What could be seen of her chest was an intense red. Her legs were the soft, sedated blue of the ocean by Sandover right after a storm and were dressed like her arms. Her face was the passionate green of the Forbidden Jungle. Even with the unusual and differing skin color, she might have been accepted as what was popularly considered as normal, except for the eyes. They were pure white, with only a small dot, and they moved independently of each other, giving her a wide field of vision.

The heads of the four mutants looked down and Keira followed their gaze. What appeared to be a blue puddle was rising up out of the ground. As it grew and began to rise up, Keira realized it was merely another mutant making its appearance. The Eco swelled and became solid, revealing the blue plushy looking flesh of the fifth distorted creature. Keira watched it walked over t the others and saw that its frame was not solid. As its feet impacted the ground, one parts of its arm would bulge out while another piece would cave in. It was not an enormous change, but it was sufficient enough that Keira noticed it.

Another creature flew out of the hole. It landed on the ground and folded its enormous wings that were reminiscent of an eagle's, albeit green, and connected to her arms behind her back. Long red hair flew wildly behind this mutant, giving her a bizarre appearance. Adding to the odd look was her hands. They were pale yellow, with three very long fingers that ended in curved, vicious looking claws, which was an accurate description of her feet as well. What set this mutant apart from the others was the fact that she had no clothes on. Her bottom half was covered in long purple feathers, while her torso was similarly covered, except the color was a poisonous looking blue.

Yet another person emerged from the bottom of the pit, this one being the most normal looking so far. In fact, if it weren't for his extreme resemblance to an ape, he could have passed for an elf. He was wearing white pants that were the exact same as Jak's. Brown fur covered his upper body, except for the chest itself. A dark red, like blood, tail that looked like a monkey's poked through a hole in the back of his pants and was snaked around his waist like a belt. It clashed with the blue sash that he had tied around his pants like a strap. His arms were covered in a lighter red than his tail, this color looking calmer. Yellow eyebrows were positioned above kind looking blue eyes. His hair was even wilder than Jak's: with seven or eight main spikes sticking up about eight inches or so, the falling down over his forehead an inch or so and two long dreadlocks that were draped from his shoulders down to about halfway down his chest. He carried himself with a very distinguishable air: it said; "mess with me and you won't live to see tomorrow." Despite this, Keira could not see this person as being outwardly aggressive, a hypothesis that was confirmed when his face lit up with a smile as he landed next to his comrades.

Another creature appeared, making Keira wonder just how many of them there actually were. This one was easily the most fantastic looking, as it didn't resemble anything even remotely elfin. Two massive wings, easily ten feet each, pumped almost lazily as it flew out of the hole in Weyard's skin. These weren't the pretty looking wings of the one that had come out two times ago: they resembled a bat's. Its head was flat and animal-like, with horns sticking out of the forehead. These horns curved up behind the head and encircled the ears, giving it a ram-like appearance in that aspect. Its hair was a dark red, much like the fur of the tail on the man that had just come out, and was braided down to its waist. Three eyes were set in its head, two dark purple and the one above them yellow. Its skin resembled that of a skinned Yakow: dark brown and leathery looking. What were also unmistakable were its wings, three taloned fingers stuck out of the two joints that were between its shoulders and the wings. As it landed, these two hands interlocked and so prevented the wings from snagging on anything. One of his arms was actually made up of large black spheres about the size of Keira's head. These were solid obsidian in color and on the end was a nasty looking stinger, the kind one would see on a scorpion's tail. The other hand looked normal, at least for this creature. Its biceps bulged and the hands ended in claws that were bright blue and an inch long. Its legs were triple-jointed, with the first part about two feet long before it angled back up into itself about a third of the way and then angled back down again for two more feet. The feet were similar to the one that resembled a bird, only it had four toes instead of three and the claws were the only part that touched the ground, the rest of the foot being angled up off the ground.

Another creature materialized from the shadows, this one looking barbaric and feral. It had some resemblance to humanity, with only two arms and two legs. Most unusually, it had two thumbs on each hand, one on either side. Its face was covered by a mask of Precursor armor, and it looked as though its entire body was covered in leather straps. It carried a metal double-sided, double-bladed axe that was set against him back. Apart from the scarred and scabby hands and feet, which Keira assumed would be the same over all his skin, this one looked quite normal.

Yet another creature emerged, this one being the tenth. Its body was amphibious looking, since it was breathing quite normally and yet had gills on either side of its neck. It wore a pair of brown shots that came up to the knee and that was it. Its skin was scaly and green, which greatly enhanced it semblance to a fish or similar creature. Two large black unblinking eyes were set in its head below a mass of tentacles for hair. Although they looked stationary, Keira could see the ends of them twitching, as though they were trying to pick up something from the air.

The eleventh creature made its appearance, and once again struck home the fact that this group was not ones average group of misfits. It was swabbed in red and blue clothes that completely obscured the legs as it climbed up, digging its green staff with a purple jewel on the top into the stone to pull itself up. Its body was tan, like an elf's, but it could hardly be considered normal. The face looked miserable, as though this creature longed for death. Its lips were nonexistent, revealing a set of yellow, uneven teeth. Sharp fingernails were positioned at the end of foot long fingers, each one with six joints, giving it immense flexibility. As it pulled itself up, Keira saw that it walked like a hunchback, with the head set in the chest. To protect it from aerial attacks, the creature wore a metal carapace that covered the "shoulders" and back. Said armor had a purple half-sphere in the center, which was probably important to it in some way.

All eleven now turned around and sank to their knees and bent their heads as the twelfth creature emerged, making Keira think that this one would be the ringleader. Much of its body remained unseen as it levitated its body out of the hole. This was due to it being dressed in purple and gold. It wore armor shaped like a V at the shoulders and wore a helmet made out Precursor metal. Its skin was a sickly purple, and it had very long fingers. Black eyes were in the face of this newest mutant.

As the others rose, Keira guessed that the leader had been the last to emerge. All of them now looked in the hole as if they were waiting, but nothing emerged. After about a minute or so, it appeared that whatever they were waiting for was obviously not coming.

"So, which side are we on?" the one that had been the first to emerge asked. She had a light, feathery voice that sounded like wind itself.

"The hairy ones. The elves are attempting to upset the delicate balance," the leader proclaimed.

That was all Keira needed to hear before she fired an arrow right at the leader. It turned its head around and blinked. Instantly the arrow burst into flames, so that by the time it got to the leader it was little more than ash. The villagers froze, not knowing what to make of this power.

"Attack!" Keira and the leader screamed as one. Eleven of the creatures darted forward, while the frail multicolored one stayed behind, kneeling down as if in prayer.

After about thirty minutes of fighting, it was clear that however determined the elves were, these new mutants that had emerged were effectively turning the tables. Again and again, Keira and her group charged, only to ultimately lose ground. What was puzzling Keira was how the mutants seemed perfectly content to let the elves go, but attacked viciously if they tried to gain ground. This caused Keira to wonder whether or not if these creatures were evil or confused. As they launched a tree at the one that resembled a demon more than anything, it tried to stop it. Fortunately, it was unsuccessful and was plowed into the ground. Keira and the other cheered, thankful they had finally taken one of their enemies down. They stopped and everyone's jaw dropped when they saw what was happening. The demon had lifted the entire tree over its head before throwing it back at the elves. Needless to say, the elves retreated before said trunk impacted.

The one that had the air around it shimmer approached Keira as she fought off a trio of Lurker Trolls. She spun around and swung her blade, but a quick draw of the creature's falchion stopped her.

"Why? Why are you attacking us? We have done nothing to you, nothing to warrant this aggression." Keira said, her eyes wide and pleading. He looked down at her, regret etched in every line on his face.

"I am sorry, but this is the only way."

"What are you talking about?"

"If you win, this world will be destroyed."

"What?"

"It is true the Dark One is attempting to destroy the world. After you leave, we will deal with him. The Silos must remain closed, or the entire balance of Weyard will be thrown out of whack. Nevertheless, we cannot allow you to kill him. If Dark Eco is without a Sage, then it will be completely free to destroy the planet." Keira's brain struggled to comprehend what he was saying as he raised his sword.

"I'm sorry," he said as he lowered his sword.

"No…" Keira whispered as the sword drew closer.

* * *

"Brother…" Hatu whispered as he held his brother's hand.

"Sorry bro. Looks like I won't be around to see you guys win," Wartstal said with a flicker of a smile.

"I'll get them for this," Hatu growled as he looked at the mangled and twisted form of what three minutes ago had been his brother. His eyes narrowed as he remembered the bastard that had done this to his own brother…

* * *

"Look out!" Wartstal shouted as he tackled Hatu. A stream of Yellow Lightning went whizzing by a second after they hit the floor. Hatu got up as he and Wartstal activated their Eco Sabers before rushing the creature with leather straps as clothing. They were finding it very hard t hit him however: his body could bend in ways that it shouldn't be able to. As they got closer to him, his hands began to glow green. He blocked their Eco Sabers with the power of Green Eco while inflicting scratches with one of his feet. What was really maddening about this was he was managing to block, parry and attack with three limbs while balancing on only one.

Hatu leapt into the air and brought his Saber crashing down. The creature dodged and Hatu was left open for a second. Razor sharp claws tore into his flesh from every angle, making it impossible for Hatu to escape disorientation.

"Leave him alone!" Wartstal roared as he shoved himself into the body of the creature. As it staggered, Wartstal brought his blade up and Hatu mentally cheered from the ground as he watched his half-brother deliver what was thought to be the finishing blow.

Alas, victory was not to be assured that day.

The creature brought one of its feet up and Blue Lightning shot out of the limb. Wartstal froze as he brought his blade crashing down. The beast righted itself and shot a blast to keep Hatu from moving. It then shot a proverbial storm of both Red and Yellow Lightning at Wartstal, who screamed as his skin began to burn before peeling away. As he thrashed around on the floor in mindless agony, Hatu heard the whispered apology of the beast as it charged up a blast of Dark Lightning. Fury erupted in Hatu as he watched and heard his brother die a slow, painful death. So focused was the creature on killing off the Lurker Regenerator that he did not notice the yellow lightning spark around the one he had paralyzed.

"ENOUGH!" Hatu screamed as a blast erupted from his outstretched hands. At first, one would think it was a beam, but upon closer examination, it could be seen that the beam was actually a blast of Yellow Lightning that was super-concentrated. Such was the power of the attack that the creature was blown three hundred feet away.

Hatu got up ran at his brother, not caring how he had somehow managed to Channel Yellow Eco…

* * *

"Don't worry. You can heal yourself," Hatu said reassuringly, but even as he spoke these words, he knew something was wrong: if Wartstal was going to heal himself, it would have happened already.

"No. That last blast somehow damaged my ability to heal myself," Wartstal gasped out. Apparently, the blast had also damaged his lungs, since it was getting harder for him to breathe.

"I won't lose you they way I lost our parent!" Hatu said determinedly.

"You don't have to. I learned the power of Synthesis," Wartstal said weakly. Hatu reeled back: Synthesis was an ancient technique used by their ancestors to fuse two Lurkers together. One would gain the powers of both, and it was through this skill that the more advanced and powerful Lurkers had come about.

"Put…your hand…on my chest, " Wartstal said faintly. Hatu did as his kin requested. Suddenly, Wartstal began screaming. Not in pain, but in concentration. A sudden blue fire engulfed his body and the heat was transferred to Hatu. Amazingly, it didn't hurt, but felt… comforting. A flash of white light erupted from Wartstal's body and Hatu shut his eyes. After the light died down and he opened them back up, Hatu saw that all physical traces of his brother's body were gone.

"I'm alone now," he thought as he stood up, preparing himself for the battle against the Lurkers that were swarming toward him. However, even as he said it, another voice in his mind said that he was never alone. But it wasn't his voice. It was the voice of his brother.

* * *

Keira felt an explosion of heat wash over her body as someone picked her up. She opened her eyes and saw that the creature that had been about to kill her stagger back, liquid Red Eco covering his body. She looked up to see Tank.

"Thought you could use some help," he said shortly. Keira began to thank him when a wave of heat swept over the two of them. The creature was standing tall, and, if his increased aura was any indication, even stronger than before the explosion.

"Tank?" Keira whispered as the creature began to walk toward them.

"Yea?"

"What was that that you threw at him?"

"An Eco Shell. Why?"

"I don't think it worked," Keira said as the creature swung its sword and hit the ground with it. Streaks of fire came roaring off of the blade and Tank dodged desperately to avoid getting singed. The creature raised its hands again and this time Keira, sure death was coming to claim her this time, kept her eyes open, determined to die fighting. The creature was attacked by an odd creature, and for a second Keira feared another mutant had emerged. But as the samurai imitator was thrown away and the creature turned around, she let out a gasp.

It was Hatu, and yet he did not look himself. For starters, his body had changed. His feet now ended in claws, which meant he had gained another weapon. The legs were now covered in reddish-purple hair, but had not changed shape: they were still the thin versions. He had gotten taller, now being a full six feet tall. His hair was unchanged, as were the ears on the top of his ears. His chest was now completely covered in hair, but it lessened once it got to the neck. The arms were unchanged, but those were the only things that hadn't changed. When he opened his mouth, Keira saw that two of his canines had been elongated. And his eyes were different as well. The part that had been yellow was now red, and the brown parts were yellow. The pupils were still cat-like, but were now deep blue rather than black.

"Hey Keira," he said as he bent down and helped her up.

"Hey, what happened to you?"

"It's a long story. I'll explain later." He said shortly as the three of them linked up with another group.

"So… any idea as to how to keep these guys?" Keira asked as they sent boulders via catapult at the advancing army.

"Nope, as a matter of fact I was counting on you to help us out." Hatu responded as he slaughtered some nearby with his claws, which had extended to be somewhere about two inches. A thundering was heard as one of the most powerful Lurkers approached: a Behemoth. Hatu drew his two Eco Sabers and engaged it without so much as a second thought. The skin of the Behemoth was amazingly resilient, and the Eco Sabers barely nicked the skin, let alone cut through it. Still, Hatu danced around it, making pinpricks here and there, knowing that if he scored enough, they would become lethal. Keira stopped to watch the Lurker in his battle. There was a terrifying way that he danced around, his fluidity and grace far beyond that of many living things. As he danced around the Behemoth, Keira could only describe him as a whirlwind of disaster, the two Eco Sabers blocking and attacking repeatedly.

The Behemoth finally roared and went down, its twenty-foot frame shaking the earth as it caused small cracks in the ground.

Although this was a minor victory, on the whole things were going right down the toilet. Although the creatures only killed when absolutely necessary, the Lurkers were not as accommodating, and already three fourths of the army had been killed. Keira knew what they had to do, although it sent a knife through her heart to give the order.

"Everyone fall back," she shouted as she launched an Eco Saber at a trio of incoming Trolls. "I repeat, fall back. Retreat to The City of The Sky," she shouted as she began running back, fear giving her the proper motivation to outrun the Lurkers.

The Lurkers began following the elves but a massive wall of fire stopped them in their tracks. The red warrior with the sword had created the wall to protect the elves. The creatures banded together and stood between the Lurkers and their prey.

"We rusb ke kxo Citadel. Gol aj nuakadw. Kho ke fujj udt toukx nacc ro idmohsavicco jcen." (Go back to the Citadel. Gol is waiting. Try to pass and death will be unmercifully slow.) The leader growled. The Lurker army turned, as one, and went back to the Citadel.

* * *

"Who were those guys?" Keira thought as she was transported back to The City of The Sky. "And what did that one guy mean when he said that if we kill Gol, Dark Eco will kill everything?"

All in all, the atmosphere was depressed as everyone sat down. Keira couldn't stand the tension and went outside. Although she couldn't see it, she knew Jak was fighting for the planet off on the Dark Eco Silo.

She was suddenly seizing afraid she would never see him again. She shook her head, knowing Jak had gotten himself out of a load of scraps before.

"Come home Jak…" Keira whispered to the wind as, miles away, Jak fought with every ounce of determination he possessed.

Keira would wait for him to return. And then they would go home, all the way back to Sandover. Back to where they had begun, before the war, before the knowledge of the burden that was theirs to carry. "No," Keira corrected herself, "the burden is Jak's I can't that away from him. All I can do is helping him to shoulder the enormity of his duty."

"After all, I love him," she thought as she gazed over the beautiful planet she had been blessed to live on.

"And that's what people do when they're in love."

* * *

Well, here it is. Sorry for updating so late, my dog thought it would be fun to use my mouse as a toy. Needless to say, I had to go buy a new one. I do hope I made this realistic enough, and now the third party is finally revealed. Don't worry, its not the last you'll see of them. Please let me know if the descriptions were good, and if anyone has a comment, idea (please!), flame, etc, don't hesitate.AndI an sorryfor the extreme mushiness of Keira, and I sincerely hope I did not cause anyone to vomit.That being said, you can look forward to seeing Jak take on Gol and Maia in the final chapter tomorrow or Tuesday.

* * *

My Top Five Favorite Fanfictions. (They are listed alphabetically, not by preference.)

1. Surge by Amathist Fwirrel

2. The Jak and Daxter Prank War by animedragongirl

3. The Sage's Legacy by Light-Eco-Sage

4. There was Light and Darkness by Keeroshu

5. War of the Ancients by Red Mage 04

* * *

Quote of the week- Donkey (Shrek)

Shrek: You can't tell me you're afraid of heights.

Donkey: No, I'm just uncomfortable about being on a rickety bridge, over a boiling lake of lava!


	30. Battle For Weyard

As usual, here are the responses to the reviews you so kindly sent me, in case there was an email error and you did not recieve them.

* * *

Red Mage 04- Thank you for the shout out for luck, I will need it to do good on this chapter. I'm also happy that you were able to tell what all of the mutants looked like, and I'll have them show up again. Update War of the Ancients really soon, because I want to see Keira get her Light Eco Powers. 

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Jak and Daxter except a copy of ach of the games. If I owned the franchise, I would have made this the game, which would have caused Naughty Dog to go bankrupt from not selling a single copy of the original game.

* * *

Battles for Weyard 

Jak took a small kit out of his backpack and unfolded it, showing a pack that fit snugly against his back and still gave room for his backpack. Keira said she had picked it up while out shopping: it was a gigantic Eco conserver. Apparently, there was a mechanical genius in The City of The Sky who had the same idea as Keira, except he had infinitely more time on his hands. After assembling the Eco Containment Backpack and hooking it up to his Eco Boxes, Jak sat on the disk heading for the Silos and mentally prepared himself for the difficult, nay, nearly impossible, battle that he knew lay ahead. To be perfectly honest, he had never thought this was going to be an issue. He had always imagined himself defeating Gol and Maia _before_ the activated the Precursor Robot. But then again, he of all people should know that the Precursors rarely allow things to happen as one would imagine. Jak sighed and closed his eyes, seeing as he wouldn't be at the Silos for a minute or two, and the thing was so small to the Precursor Robot that there was very little chance of Gol and Maia noticing him before he got closer.

A small shift in weight on his shoulders made him remember Daxter. His friend that had followed him through pretty much every aspect of this adventure. Oh sure, the little guy was a bit annoying at times, who wasn't. But even though Daxter seemed to be more irritating than the normal person, he was still a loyal person. There were plenty of opportunities when Daxter could have turned his back on Jak: the Lurker attack on Sandover; the journey through Boggy Swamp; climbing Snowy Mountain; escaping from the Lurker Fort; the traverse through Spider Caves; the Lava Tube. Precursors, Daxter could hate Jak, and have every right to. Jak dwelled on this for a second and realized that if Daxter hated him, he would feel slightly better. After all, it was Jak's own fault in the first place that Daxter had been mutated into the fuzzy rodent he was now. Jak's brow furrowed as he thought back to that fateful day, now four and a half months ago…

* * *

The boat landed with a small thud on the shores of the forbidden island. Daxter went toppling forward and Jak chuckled as he helped his friend up and out of the water. Daxter shook himself off and dried his skin off, but his clothes remained slightly damp. He looked around and shuddered, having second thoughts about coming to this place. "Hey! Uh, Jak? Old Green Stuff told us not to come here," he had said…

* * *

But Jak hadn't listened to him. His thirst for adventure had made him continue, and that was where they had first heard of Gol's mad scheme. And then on their way back to the village, Jak had disagreed with Daxter over which way they had come and because of him, they had wound up by that pool again. Even so, it might not have been Jak's fault if he hadn't fought that Lurker and thrown that bomb…

* * *

The Lurker charged again and Jak's instincts told him to throw the metal. Jak hurled the cylinder with all his might and the instant it made contact with the Lurker it exploded, sending Jak flying back into Daxter, who toppled over the edge and fell screaming into the vat of dark ooze. Jak turned around and stared desperately into the liquid, praying for some sign that his friend was still alive. His prayers were answered as Daxter's voice was heard emanating from an orange blob that was shot out of the ooze. It shot passed Jak, who breathed a sigh of relief. He turned around, expecting to see his friend. He was instead greeted by a very wrong image. A two-foot tall fuzzy rodent was dusting himself off and standing up…

* * *

"Yes, it is my fault that my friend is like this," Jak thought as he focused on his journey. Although Keira had helped him infinitely with her amazing gadgets, the most helpful of which being the Eco Box Belt he now wore, his goggles, and figuring out everything about his gloves, Jak doubted he would have made it this far without Daxter. Admittedly, he was quite small, but that hadn't stopped him from helping Jak out of that sticky situation during his second brawl with Escuro…

* * *

The demon threw a punch at Jak with its left arm. Jak dodged to the outside of the creature, who smirked. It extended a sword from its wrist and made a slicing motion through the air. Jak was caught unprepared for this and paid for it dearly. As he slumped to the ground, clutching at the three-inch deep graze along his torso, the demon hit him with a sidekick in his ribs, breaking three of them. Jak hit the ground, his head spinning and his body aching. His hand weakly and slowly traveled to his Green Eco Box. The demon saw his movement and stomped on his arm, reducing the bones in it to resemble something from Pickup-Sticks. Jak's eyes bugged and he started thrashing around on the ground, his mouth open in a silent scream of pain and anguish. Suddenly the monster above him left out a roar and Jak prepared to die; there was no way he could block whatever the monster was planning next. He couldn't even move half his body without feeling terrible pdain. 

"Jak! Hurry up; I don't think I can keep this thing distracted any longer." Daxter cried out. Jak looked up from the ground and saw his adversary making frantic attempts to remove Daxter's teeth from its arm…

* * *

Yes, Daxter had been a good help to have in that fight. And he had helped him and the others destroy the dirigible. But the most important thing he had done was to, quite simply, be there. He had never once deserted Jak. The feeling that Daxter was always with him had often given Jak the determination to get the both of them out of whatever mess they had gotten into. Jak had struggled so hard during his first fight against Benedict because he had felt alone against the darkness that had threatened to overwhelm him. But this time, he had felt up to fighting Gravis because he knew Daxter was with him. 

The platform got closer to the Silos. Jak saw the Precursor Robot stop in front of it and its fake eye begin to glow. He also noticed that the weather was acting peculiarly. The closer he got to the Silos, the worse the weather seemed to get. Thick rolling dark storm clouds were gathering, and thunder began to rumble as lightning flashed in the background. The curious thing was that rain wasn't falling. It was if the Silos were responsible for the atmosphere. He closed his eyes and this time thought of Keira. If Daxter was the ship that kept him above water in the storm, Keira was the sail that kept him pointing in the right direction. Without her, Jak would not have even survived the first Temple. And he had now grown closer to her. Even though he couldn't talk, she always seemed to know what he thinking and did her best to stop him from becoming like Benedict. Truthfully, Jak knew he had come dangerously close to following the poor guy during the first attack on Sandover. He had killed the Lurkers responsible for hurting his friends. But that hadn't been enough. Full of rage, he had seriously begun considering killing the next thing that got his attention. He walked back to the hut with every intention of ripping the corpses of the Lurker brutally apart. And then he had seen her. Her beautiful face with those pure eyes had calmed his soul and immediately he became concerned for her. He liked her just as much as Benedict, but in a different way. Benedict desired _her_, Jak desired her happiness.

Jak thought back to all the times he and Keira had been alone. Not once had they managed to kiss. Jak was constantly wondering if he would be her first kiss, or had she already kissed someone already. Surely it wouldn't be the latter: Keira would tell him if she was seeing someone, Jak had no doubt of that. What did worry him was that he would screw it up. There was a saying that the first kiss was always unforgettable and that worried Jak. On the plus side, he might be her first and only. That would be great. But what if she remembered him because he was a horrible kisser? Or worse, what if it affected their friendship? If they got together and then split up, would their friendship be able to stand it? All of a sudden, an image rose from the shadows of Jak's mind, the corner where he thought about Keira. He could see her cute face in front of his, eyes closed expectantly. He could see them get closer as her lowered his mouth to hers. He could smell her scent, sweet and spicy at the same time. And then they shared their first kiss. Jak allowed himself a silly grin as the image replayed itself and with an enormous effort, he shook the thought away: he had more important things to worry about now. Namely, the two Sages that he had to stop before they opened the Dark Eco Silos and destroyed the world.

Jak opened his eyes and saw that the Robot had paused in its laser firing and had spotted him. He tensed his body, but surprisingly, the Robot moved aside so he could stand on the Dark Eco Silo. He glared at the left eye of the Robot, knowing that Gol and Maia could see him. Jak noticed that the appearance of the robot had altered greatly. The large gun on the left arm had been removed and slung across the back, while a normal hand had taken its place. In addition, the attachment on the left hand had vanished. A blast of insane laughter burst from the Robot before it became comprehensible words.

"Why do you follow us? I will be impossible for you to defeat us!" Jak heard Gol's voice emanate from the Robot as clearly as if he had been standing an inch away.

"You know buddy, I can smell you from here. Their called Tic-Tacs, and there not that expensive!" Daxter called back. Jak smiled at his friends words.

"Insolent rodent!" Maia screamed. Daxter stuck his tongue out, an act that seemed to infuriate her even more. Jak stopped grinning and adopted a fighting stance: he sensed that the joking was over and now it was time to get down to business.

The two stared at each other, both the Channeler and the Precursor awaiting that slight sign, the instinctive 'ding,' that would start the battle of the century.

As luck would have it, a bolt of lighting struck near by, and as the thunder swept over the Silo, Jak launched himself at the Robot as fast as he could. The Robot showed that it was far speedier than an automaton of its size should be, and lashed out with both of its forearms in an attempt to turn Jak into a pancake. However, the elf was not going to be taken down by such a simple move, and he vaulted up and performed a back flip, before coming down with both Blades out. But Gol proved swift at the control's, and brought an armored forearm up to block the blows.

Both of Jak's Eco Blades were deflected by the armored arm, with absolutely nothing to show for all the power that had been behind them. The Robot then brought his other arm into the mix, lashing out with it with enough force that a small gale picked up as Jak just managed to get out of the way.

"Jeez Jak, could ya get any closer to dying?" Daxter screeched as he barely held on to Jak's hair, causing a few pairs to part from his scalp. The Robot attacked again and Jak fired a ball of Eco at the Green Eco Generator. As he expected, the Robot brought its arms up to cover the chest. He aimed a Red Grenade at the face of the Precursor Robot, aiming for where he thought Gol was sitting. The Channeled Red Eco struck the massive machine, but it did little more than generally piss Gol off.

Jak heard a snarl come over the loudspeakers before Yellow Eco crackled over the right hand. As the Robot unleashed it upon Jak, the elf moved like a blur to get out of the blast range of the attack, which hit the Silo's top dead on. Jak threw the Yellow Eco Blade in his left hand, and chucked another Eco Grenade straight at the chest, trying to damage the center of the Robot. A giant arm swatted the two Channeled attacks away with its left hand.

While Gol was busy guarding the belly of the Robot, Jak turned his Blue Eco Box off and dropped down. He extended the grappling hook and attached himself to the fake foot of the Robot. He activated the adhesive function of his gloves and began climbing up its back. Gol spun the Robot around, looking for his foe.

"Where did he go brother?" Maia asked from within the cockpit.

"I don't know sister," the male Dark Sage replied before damage screens started flashing.

"What's going on?"

"It's him. He's on the back," Gol said softly before he whirled around with enough speed to kick up a small wind around the Robot. Jak held on with his Eco Blade imbedded on the back. Eventually he went flying off and received a blow to his entire body, courtesy of a gigantic foot. Jak went flying back and accidentally attached himself to the foot of the Robot again. He reeled himself up and began flying up the body. Jak rushed up the arm and dug both of his weapons into the unarmored joint. He continued flying, but the metal of the Robot was so strong that the Blades made little more than nicks. The Robot brought his other hand to the wound to crush the Channeler. Fortunately, said elf was able to get clear before he was turned into a two dimensional object.

The Channeler dodged a barrage of small, thin beams that were coming from the eight odd turrets surrounding the Green Eco Generator. The eight of them fired at the same place and met in a dot. An enormous beam emitted from it and Jak dropped down to avoid it. After about three minutes later, and several groans from the Silo, Jak decided to go back on the offensive again, lashing out with energy balls and beams, throwing everything he had at this enemy, knowing full well what the price of failure would be. Gol retaliated furiously, trying desperately to kill this bastard that had stolen Samos' affection away from him.

However, as yet another bomb hit home upon the chest of the Robot and damaged some delicate circuitry, Gol decided to play one of his trump cards. An enormous ball of Dark Eco suddenly expanded, forcing Jak away if he desired to continue to be unmutated, or alive for that matter, as being mutated required being alive.

Jak hovered in the air as the ball of Eco vanished and the tow adversaries circled each other. Lightning crackled in the sky once again, and the battle chose that moment to resume.

Jak summoned two Eco Blades as the distance closed. Gol cocked the Robot's arms back and brought his fists in with all the strength he had at his disposal, kicking up a small wind with the force behind them. Jak evaded this attack and then expertly dodged additional blows with a mid-flight twist followed by a dive that put him right underneath the arm and scored a minor hit on the right arm with his Eco Blade on the unarmored section.

The Robot aimed a kick at Jak, who dodged to the right, rolling out of the way as the enormous contraption attempted to once more end his existence. Fortunately, the only thing that the Robot wound up hitting was an afterimage Jak seemed to leave in his wake, so great was his speed. Jak heard a grumble of aggravation as Gol turned the Robot around and caught a Yellow Eco Grenade right in the eye. Jak ran is and narrowly avoided a beam from the right eye.

A thundering roar of thunder split the as the Robot smacked Jak, who learned what a Wumpbee felt like after being smacked. He pried himself off the ground, where the Robot had smacked. He looked up and saw that Gol had aimed the cannon strapped to his back and a massive blast of flames came streaming out. Jak shot up and out of the forest before he was slowly roasted. He shot up like a blur and got behind the Robot. Before Gol could maneuver the Robot around, Jak thrust both of his weapons up to their hilts into his back before turning them into Grenades and detonating them. Gol then did something Jak would have thought impossible: a back flip. As he went flying back, he was stunned that the Robot was able to do such acrobatics, but then again, he should have expected it, considering that this was but a demonstration of the power of the Ancients.

Jak sped back toward the Robot and received quite a shock when it launched the massive Dark Eco attack at him again. Jak activated a shield and plowed straight through the attack, aiming for the Blue Eco Cannon. As one of the hands reached for him, Jak dodged the Eco Sabers attached to his fingers and landed back on the Silo, where he glared at Gol, who returned the favor, although it remained unseen.

The head looked down and the right eye began to glow. Jak took off as the Blue Eco Cannon fired at him. Now that he was in the air it would be much harder for Gol to hit him. Jak barrel rolled to the right, trying to get closer to the Robot. What he was going to do once he got there was beyond him. He had absolutely no idea how to kill this thing. He got closer and closer when suddenly a trio of Eco Sabers came whizzing at him. He leaned back and did a split while curling his right arm into his chest to stay in once piece. The three Eco Sabers spun around before going towards the Robot. For one wild second Jak was expecting them to cut into it but came to his senses when he saw them attach themselves to one of the fingers on the Robot's right hand.

"You'll never defeat me!" Gol shouted as he fired at Jak again. Jak dodged two of the Eco Sabers and grabbed the third as he combined his two Eco Blades and threw it like a spear. His attack did absolutely no damage, but it did stop the laser for a few seconds. Jak rushed in and made a stabbing motion when the Saber he was clutching jerked him back to the right hand. Once he got over the shock, Jak let go of it, realizing that getting sliced up by the Sabers would not be conducive to his health. As he let go, Jak fired a grappling hook and attached himself to the right elbow. He reeled himself in and began running up the Robot's arm, assured that he wouldn't be attacked out of fear for damaging the Robot.

"Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak!" a voice screamed. Jak looked down and saw Daxter falling towards the forest below. Without a second thought Jak leapt off the arm and plummeted straight down and sped for his friend.

"C'mon," Jak thought as he willed himself to go faster. He caught Daxter and took off for the Silos again, knowing that he was about halfway out of Blue Eco. As he landed on the Silos again the laser cannon opened up fire again. Jak took the skies again and went in at a zigzag pattern. He landed on the Robot right in front of the eye and savored triumph for a split second before he realized how stupid he had been.

With a massive blast of energy, the Precursor Robot nailed Jak right in the chest. Jak expected to feel it tear through his body at any second but nothing happened. Jak opened his eyes and saw that his body was absorbing the beam and Channeling it. As he rushed in and prepared to stab the eye, Gol did something Jak should have expected, but didn't. Gol brought the head back before slamming it into Jak's body.

Jak went sailing back towards the Silo and impacted with an echoing thud. He looked up and saw that the Precursor metals covering the seam between the shutters were being blasted away. Jak Channeled Blue Eco into his body and concentrated with every particle of his brain on crushing the Blue Eco Cannon. Gol and Maia continued to fire the beam; unaware (or not caring) that Jak was destroying the Cannon.

With a massive display of energy, Jak ripped the Blue Eco Cannon out of the eye socket of the Robot and crushed it in midair.

"What in the name of all that is holy?" Daxter asked, having no idea what his friend had done.

"You'll pay for that Jak!" Gol shouted. Jak thoroughly ignored him as he summoned two Blades and prepared to rush back into the fight.

"Launch the Eco Detonator!" Maia yelled.

A disk of Precursor metal was launched from the thing they had installed behind the head. Jak recognized it as one of the disks that Gol had stolen from the Blue Eco Temple that one day. It hovered about ten feet above the Silo and began spinning rapidly. Small bolts of electricity began flying everywhere and Jak back flipped off the side of the Silo. He activated the adhesive feature on his gloves and climbed back up after hearing an explosion. As he looked up Jak reflected on the fact that he was lucky to have moved. Shrapnel was littered everywhere. Jak understood why Maia had called it the Eco Detonator. As he began to run towards the Robot, Jak suddenly tripped. He looked down and saw that the Silos had been opened a hair: just enough to get your toe stuck in. He gulped: he now had to stop them from completely opening the Silos. Jak remembered Samos had told him that the Silos were only dangerous when fully open. If they were closed even a little bit, they would hold the Dark Eco inside.

A bright glow made Jak turn around. The chest of the Precursor Robot lit up and Jak tensed, remembering what was on it. As it fired a massive ball of Green Eco, Jak tried to Channel it into himself using the Econetic magnets in his gloves. It was too powerful, however, to be discouraged, and flew right into the crack in the Silo and sank into the Dark Eco. Gol began firing more balls, about a dozen more in all. Of these, Jak managed to deflect and absorb one, but that was it. Jak looked into the Dark eco, which was docile as the sea on Sentinel Beach. Suddenly a ball of Dark Eco shot out and landed on the floor with a sickening plop. It began to vibrate and make growling noises. Jak blew it to pieces, certain that whatever it was, it could not be anything good.

Eleven more balls shot out of the air and landed on the Silo. Some of them never got the chance, since Jak blasted about five out of the air. Three more met their doom as they landed and began to shake. The other three hardened as Jak fired Eco at them. Unfortunately, it didn't do any good. The balls of Dark Eco burst open and the creatures inside were revealed.

They were by far the ugliest things Jak had yet to see in this lifetime. The creatures inside seemed to have been created inside out, with their skin pattern looking disgustedly like bones. They had four legs on a bone waist. All of the legs were bent so that the creatures were perhaps half of their total height. Even so, they still had a good two feet or so on Jak. An exterior spine covered in pale blue flesh traveled up another three feet from the waist, ending in a dark brown chest that looked like leather covered with a bone chest carapace. On each side of the chest was a shiny blue mask with glowing red eyes. One's eyes were squinted so it looked happy, the other looked sad. Two arms with gigantic biceps and foot long claws connected to more pale blue skin. Sticking out of the top of each head was a long spike that looked like vertebrae. A long neck of eight inches was under a third mask, this one's eyes narrowed in anger. Two long horns curved back and then up and forward.

As one of them flexed it fingers, it met death by being chopped in half and thrown off the Silo. Jak rushed another one, whose happy face breathed a blast of fire. Jak dodged to the right, right into the claws of another. As the one that had almost impaled him charged, Jak leapt over it and kicked it in the back of the head. As it staggered forward, Jak saw the first Dark Beast breath another blast of fire. Jak back flipped so that he the second Dark Beast was between him and the first one. As he landed and added his own inferno to the mix, the second beast shrieked as its skin bubbled and it became nothing more than a puddle on the floor. The first Dark Beast charged Jak again. Jak blocked its lightning quick blows with his forearm armor and fired a Yellow Eco Beam at it. It caused the beast to go back, but then the sad face lit up and unleashed a stronger Yellow Eco Beam at Jak.

Jak was thrown off the Silo by the attack and grabbed the edge with his glove. He climbed back up, but the Dark Beast was nowhere to be seen. Jak looked over the edge of the Silo and saw it crawling down, looking for him. He landed on it and began fighting with it. As the two exchanged blows, Jak had to admire its flexibility. By digging its legs into the side of the Silo, the Dark Beast could dodge and move around while attacking. Jak backed up to use fire when suddenly the angry face lit up. A spray of Dark Eco came out like a sprinkler. Jak thought of a few words that he would never say (if he could) around Keira as some of it ate away the left side of his pants all the way to the knee. He hissed as the Eco stung his skin and zoomed in. A nauseating crack split the air as Jak sank his foot through the beasts face and down its throat. As it let out a death wail, Jak pulled his foot out and watched it fall to the ground. He wiped off the blood and flew back up to the Silo.

Jak saw the Robot clinging to the Silo and for a second thought he had managed to defeat it. The he saw that it was using the Eco Sabers on its right hand to open the Silos a little more. Jak picked up a piece of shrapnel and threw it at the Precursor Robot with Blue Eco, accelerating it so fast that it actually cut through the hilt of three of the Sabers and deactivated them. The head looked up and it flew back. Jak saw it raise its right hand and prepared for anything. The contraption above the arm glowed a mixture of red and yellow, but it wasn't orange.

Gol opened fire with the right arm and a blast of Red and Yellow Eco came streaming out. Jak recognized it instantly as a technique he had used once before against a certain dragon.

* * *

The dragon let out a massive blast of Yellow Eco and fire. Jak stretched out his hands and caught the attacks, concentrating hard to Channel them back so that they would recharge all the energy he had used up and then some. He gathered all of his energy once again, but this time combined both his Yellow and Red Eco powers into only one ball. As he poured more and more energy into it, the energy became harder to contain. When he was done emptying all his power, it was taking every ounce of determination he had not to let it explode. He flew up to the dragon and landed right on the nose of the main mouth. Predictably, it opened up the second one to blow him away and Jak quickly threw his ball of energy inside the beast. 

A massive sphere of brightness burst outwards, a light so utterly and completely powerful that it seared Jak's vision, even though his eyes were closed. The blast also had the effect of disintegrating the majority of Jak's clothing, so that he was left with only the cloth under his armor, and a very showing pair of shorts that ended about five inches past his waist. The Channeler landed on the hard floor, beaten and exhausted, but alive…

* * *

As Jak backed away from the fireballs, in no way eager to get hit by a more powerful version of his most powerful attack, the ball of combined Red and Yellow Eco suddenly detonated, sending him lurching away before he realized that they contained splash damage. The rings of Eco traveled swiftly over the one hundred foot diameter Silo. As he jumped over them Jak figured that although Gol's fireballs were bigger than the one he had used, they were not as dense, which explained the fact that he wasn't blinded. Jak leapt over three before getting hit by one. The heat washed over him and for a second he thought he might simply burst into flames. Jak got up just in time to dodge another blast. He heard heavy panting coming from his shoulder and looked at Daxter. Even in this situation, Jak was tempted to laugh at his friend: his arm and face hair had been singed off. Fortunately, the skin was still pale, so Jak knew his friend was not seriously injured. 

Jak dodged a barrage of fireballs sent by Gol, narrowly being burnt to death. It didn't help that the device fired the Yellow and Red Eco Balls about one every second, nor did it help that the balls were about the size of Jak's torso. Jak leapt into the air after Gol fired another Eco Bomb and landed on the right arm. He looked over at the Silo and saw that it was about a quarter of the way open. He would have to alter his strategy; his current one would not let him win. As he saw the Green Eco Generator charging up, Jak threw a volley of Yellow Eco Grenades at it, destroying it and causing it to fall off the chest of the Robot. Jak sighed, knowing that at least now he wouldn't have to fight an army of Dark Beasts. He then turned his mind to the matter at hand: finding a way to destroy the right arm attachment. As he dodged another score of fireballs, Jak Channeled some Green Eco into his body as well as Daxter's face and arms to grow the lost hair back.

Another few blasts later, Jak found his head impacting the Silos, half his shirt scorched off. He needed to find a new tactic: he was running out of Blue Eco. Another blast came at him and Jak rolled out of the way. Although he knew he had to get back on the offensive, he had no idea how to do such a thing. He looked back and saw that the Silo was opening more: there was now room for Jak's entire foot to fit through the crack. Jak summoned a Yellow Eco Blade and kept pumping Eco into it, causing it to swell. As Gol launched another ball, Jak used his Blade as a baseball bat. The Red and Yellow Eco Grenade was launched back like a comet right at the eye. Jak's aim was true and it caused a minor explosion to go off in the face. A blue liquid started streaming down the robot, giving off the impression that it was crying. Jak recognized it as Blue Eco and went zooming at it. He jumped in midair over a hand that was trying to crush him and stuck his hand out. A thin stream of Blue Eco went into his right glove. Jak grinned as his Blue Eco Box's level rose. He landed on the shoulder of the arm and switched off his Blue Eco Box.

"Jak! Are you crazy?" Daxter screamed as he held onto Jak's shoulder for dear life. Jak ignored him and ran down the right arm of the Precursor Robot, dodging the Eco Sabers that still came whizzing through the air at him. He took a giant leap upwards and grabbed a Saber. As it began to pull him back Jak fired a grappling hook at the arm and latched on. As he reeled himself in, Jak brought the Eco Saber with him and slashed at one of the tubes connecting the Red and Yellow Eco Launcher and the arm. To his dismay, it did not sever as he had planned, but rather a small incision appeared in the covering of the tube.

Jak cursed mentally again as the Eco Saber was jerked out of his grip and dragged him back. He quickly let go and back flipped in the air before latching a grappling hook onto the arm again. Jak fired and released his hooks, swing up the arm as he tried to think of a way to destroy that weapon that was now firing upon the Silos. A loud creaking sound was heard as the metal containing the Dark Eco recoiled under the intense fire. Jak leapt up and prepared to launch an attack into the glass of the weapon: perhaps that would damage it. Gol apparently had done something to alter the attack, since the three metal poles that were on the gun were moved in, separated into smaller pieces and rearranged to fire a torrent of volleyball sized energy pellets coming towards him at a higher rate of speed than the larger ones had.

Jak frenetically dodged to the right, and the Robot turned with him, trying to lead him as he unleashed dozens of Red and Yellow Eco bursts a second at him. One or two did hit, and Jak had to heal up some rather painful looking burn marks one his bare chest. Nonetheless, Jak rushed in, dodging the attacks and was met with the biggest bitch-slap in record. Jak went speeding into the Silo at such an enormous velocity that he actually dented it. Jak's eyes unfocused as he began his descent downward to the ground. His fall was slowed slightly by the branches, but still impacted hard enough to leave a small crater. Jak let out a goofy grin as heat washed over him and he closed his eyes, thinking a nap would be nice.

"Jak! JAK! WAKE UP!" Daxter screeched so loud that his own ears began to ring. Jak remained unresponsive as the fire around them drew closer. Daxter looked frantically around and spotted a lake. He quickly tried to push Jak, and despite the trail being downhill, he was unable to move Jak. Daxter started to panic, but he fought against it, knowing Jak would think straight in a situation. He flipped on the Blue Eco Box and Jak's body became lighter as the Eco flooded his body. He then backed up and slammed into Jak, rolling him down the hill and into the freezing cold water. Needless to say, it was a sufficient enough stimulant to wake Jak up. He looked around before a high-pitched voice drew his attention.

"Hey Jak! We gotta take that Robot down, so let's go!" After getting his bearings and figuring out what had happened, Jak took off to the skies, his eyes blazing with a new determination. He showed himself to the Robot and sensed (quite correctly) that Gol and Maia had stunned looks of disbelief on their faces. The fires below them gave Jak an eerie glow as he charged in again.

Both combatants simply moving about in a circle, each one formulating their next move. Gol was wondering which new attack he should break out against this foe, while Jak analyzed the Robot, looking for some flaw, some weakness that he could exploit and use to bring this Legatee-spawned creature down.

As they reentered melee range, Jak once again summoned his Eco Blades, ready to unleash them and their powers upon his adversary. They met with a thunderous din, as Jak brought both swords in aiming for an unarmored section of the arm, which Gol blocked with by rotating his arm around, and then attempted to retaliate against, lashing out with the right arm.

Jak ducked down and threw a Yellow Grenade at an armored section in the hope it would come off. Jak shot a beam at the eye and hit it dead on, causing sparks to fly from the damaged eye. Jak landed back on the Silo as one of the arms went up to the eye and the right one launched the bigger version of his Red and Yellow Eco Bomb. Gol unleashed five or six Eco Detonators and Jak summoned a Green Eco Shield to guard against the flying shrapnel. Jak picked up all of the shards and sent them hurtling at the Robot. As they impacted on the glass of the weapon on the right hand, the glass cracked. Jak rushed in and redirected the balls at the pipe that he had tried to cut before. A stream of Yellow Eco burst out and Jak was surprised: he thought that the tubes had kept the firearm connected, not give it power. He held out his hands and as the Eco came out Jak redirected the power to his hand and then added his own power to the mix. Gol roared and shot a massive beam of Dark Eco, and Jak dodged, keeping his mind on gaining the Yellow Eco. After draining the Eco gushing out at full blast for five minutes Jak focused all his power into his left hand. He raced down the arm and slammed his saffron hand into the other tube.

A massive explosion sent Jak flying back. When Jak looked at the Robot after the light had dimmed, he was rather pleased that he had not only managed to take out the weapon, but he had successfully blown the entire right forearm right off. Jak grinned at his shoulder before realizing Daxter was gone. He panicked and started looking around. He landed on the Silo as the Robot began attaching the replacement on the back. After satisfying himself that Daxter was _not_ on the Silo, Jak noticed that he Silo was now halfway open. A mighty crash shook him off his feet as the Robot slapped a hand down. Jak dodged the appendages and caught sight of a quick flash of orange. He quickly flew up and threw a Grenade at the Robot to distract it as he found his friend on the elbow of the left arm.

"Keep him busy Jak!" Daxter shouted as he scampered into the arm itself. Jak remained crouched and winced when a piercing voice screeched at him.

"I gotta make myself useful, so I'm gonna try and take off this arm. Give me three minutes and I should have it off." Jak reluctantly nodded, since there was no way he would be able to get a hold of Daxter to dissuade him anyway. He back flipped off the Robot and once again began sparring with the Robot, if sparring was used to describe a fight to the bitter end.

Jak realized that while they damaged the Robot, his Yellow Eco Grenades and Red Eco Grenades were extremely draining. He summoned two Eco Blades and decided that he would have to rely almost completely upon his blade skills to finish the battle. Gol swung at him with both arms, and barely dodged the limbs that were about the size of buildings. He slammed his Blades down on the armor, but as before, it did little more than irritate Gol and give the demented Sage another reason to kill him.

"What is taking Daxter so long?" Jak thought as he recharged his failing Blue Eco reserves. Gol was getting angrier and angrier, and Jak was beginning to tire out. He decided it was time for a more direct type of warfare. Jak zoomed in, dispelling his Eco Blades and getting close to the body as he reeled himself in with his gloves. Jak finally made it up to the face and made a silly face at Gol. At a roar, Jak took off and the hand that had been going to slap him impacted the face of the Robot. Gol growled as he pried the hand off, a decent sized dent now permanently in the skull. Jak landed on the top of the skull and began to Channel Red Eco. He started to pry open the hatch where Gol and Maia were hiding. As his muscles bulged and his body screamed for him to stop, Jak's mind was so consumed with the task that he had given himself that he hadn't noticed that the Robot had landed on the Silo and was using both hands to try to pry the Silo open manually. Jak finally opened the hatch and was rewarded with an enormous blast of Dark Lightning. Jak struggled to stay awake as his body went flying off the heads and began falling toward the pit of Dark Eco that was now about two thirds open.

Jak twisted his body around and his eyes widened in fear as the Dark Eco grew closer and closer, every second catapulting him closer to his death.

Fortunately, he would be saved by the horrible death that he was so sure was inevitable.

Unfortunately, his salvation came in the form of a gigantic Yellow Eco Blast.

Jak's body rolled off the Silos and he dug his gloves into the metal of the Silos, trying to save himself from death. As he struggled to get up, a bag in his pocket jabbed him. He pulled the bag out and looked inside. His face was dumbfounded for an instant before he realized that the rejuvenation beans that tasted like pistachios were there. Jak popped one into his mouth and felt the wonders of this vegetation to its job. In ten seconds his body felt as good as when he had first began fighting: brand new.

He shot up and landed on the Silo, reveling in the way the Robot jerked back, as though the elf inside had received and enormous shock, before he charged up Red Eco and unlashed a torrent of flames. He didn't expect the fire to actually melt the face (he knew Precursor metal was much too strong for that). All he wanted to do was stall the abomination long enough for Daxter to finish his job. He certainly seemed to be making progress, since as Gol swung at him once more Jak noticed that the left arm seemed to be wobbling about. As Gol threw another punch Jak landed on the arm and sent a fireball into the center of the unprotected circuitry. The arm jerked about as it went reeling back.

As Gol threw another punch at Jak, said elf heard a loud grinding sound and smiled triumphantly as the arm continued and went flying straight down, where it hit Weyard with a vibration that Jak could feel even atop the Dark Eco Silos. He spied a certain orange rodent that he decided right then and there would get a medal when they finished this thing off. He ran in and began hacking away at the controls that were exposed. Gol shook the arm frantically; trying to get the Channeler off and, after Jak had severed more than a few connections, eventually succeeded.

Gol, who was by now more than frustrated with the sheer stubbornness of his enemy, decided that as his Robot was running out of power, and he needed a new trick, he would simply let nature kill Jak. The Robot's feet lit up for a few seconds before they activated and pushed the mechanical creation even higher into the sky. Jak flew after it, thinking Gol was trying to escape.

"That's it," Gol whispered. "Just a little closer…" he said louder as Jak approached. Unfortunately, Gol had forgotten that he had installed beyond gigantic speakers on the "skin" of the Robot, so Jak heard every word he said. He put a thumb on his Green Eco button, ready to raise a shield, and also on his Red Eco Button for when he landed on the Robot so he could just pound the living daylights out of it.

Gol raised the right arm of the Robot and a bolt of lightning hit it. What was curious was that the lightning bolt did not stop, but continued. The gun on the left arm began to glow, and a giant blast of electricity headed for Jak. Jak summoned the shield like he had planned, but he had not counted on the sheer force of the attack, which made it extremely difficult for him to continue. Jak could see the electricity crashing into his Green Eco Shield and struggled to make the shield more solid. As the lightning intensified, Jak decided to Legatee with the consequences, and went back down. While he waited on the Silo, Jak charged up a blast of Red and Yellow Eco together and dodged the bolts of lightning that were bigger than his body as he danced to and fro.

Daxter was having a panic attack, terrified that he would either fall into the Silo and get mutated into something really ugly, or that a stray bolt would fry him into deep fried Ottsel. He looked with pride at his friend that he had finally managed to aid. Usually it was Jak who saved the day, but this time, Daxter had actually managed to do something significant.

Jak had no idea that his friend was currently mentally cheering him on, though he felt that presence that he had always felt, that feeling that no matter how desperate and hopeless things looked, he, Jak, would always be able to count on his friends. He tossed a trio of Red Eco Grenades at his foe, still concealing the Red and Yellow Eco Bomb he had charged in his right hand. Gol backed up and had the Robot level the gun. Jak saw it begin to charge up with Yellow Eco and took off to get to it before Gol decided to stop charging and unleash the powerful weapon of destruction upon him and the Silo. Jak was beginning to worry: the Silo was now mostly open: probably three quarters of the way. If he didn't wrap this fight up soon, then he would ultimately lose. But then again, Jak reassured himself, the Silos would remain closed. Jak would do everything in his power to keep them closed. On the whole, Jak felt relatively pleased with himself: he was faring quite well against a machine of pure destruction that had been created purely by the Ancients. Jak dodged another enormous beam of energy and fired his energy ball straight into the heart of the weapon.

Small explosions went off as the Yellow and Red Eco Bomb went off, causing a small chain reaction.

"Seal off the caps! Isolate the fluctuators!" Gol shouted and the explosions slowed down and lessened in sheep power until at last they stopped altogether. Jak cursed: that had been his final blast of power. There was now no way he would be able to dismantle the Robot without an offensive power. The Robot decided to distract Jak from his musings by firing at him again. Jak dodged the initial blast, but Gol had somehow made this one go off in midair, slamming Jak down. As Jak steadied himself and touched down on the ground, a glow caught his eye as he crouched down to take off. He looked where the glow was coming from and saw a lake. Drawn to it for an unknown reason, Jak looked in the bottom and his face lit up when he saw what was at the bottom. The arm that he had supposedly blown up before had hit that water and the Eco Sabers that adorned the fingertips still worked. Jak grabbed a Red Eco Saber and a Blue one to along with it. As he began to take off, Jak saw that Yellow and Red Eco were leaking out of the arm. Jak was surprised, since he thought that the Eco had run out. He recharged his power and smiled when he was back to full power.

Jak took off once more, deflecting another ball sent at him by swinging both Blades together and actually managing to make it fly back toward the Robot, where it impacted the chest.

Sparks flew as the enormous charge exploded and caused the Robot to spasmodically jerk about. A small eruption went off on the chest and for a second Jak thought that he had actually won the battle. He rushed in with the Eco Sabers and began to hack away at exposed wires and the like, inflicting a maximum amount of injury in a minimum amount of time.

"Jak!" Maia screamed at him as she emerged. The Robot fell to the ground and Gol frantically worked the controls to get the auto-repair function working again.

The two elves rushed towards each other, each one desiring the other's blood. Maia summoned a Dark Blade as the distance closed, and time seemed almost to slow as they drew ever closer, ever nearer to the next phase of this planet determining conflict. Jak, brought his fist in with all the strength he had at his disposal, kicking up a small wind with the force behind him. Maia expertly dodged the blow with twist followed by a duck. As she came up, Jak rushed forward so that he was right underneath the Dark Lord. Maia struck out with Dark Lightning and his Red Eco Saber began to spark. Jak let go of it and threw it at her as it detonated. Maia dodged the explosion. Jak rushed forward and punched her right in the chest, Red Eco giving him the power to hurt her through her armor. Maia hissed at Jak as her body healed.

The demoness dodged to the right, rolling out of the way as Jak threw his Eco Saber at her in a boomerang fashion. As it came back to the Channeler, Maia snarled in frustration and lashed out with her Dark Lightning attack again. Jak rebounded it against her and Maia was stunned for a second. That second was all it took for Jak to get behind her and be presented with another chance to strike at him. As he slammed his feet down on her back, Maia went forward. She spun around and a tentacle of Dark Eco extended from her arm and hit Jak, even though he was well over twelve feet away. Maia continued to pound the Channeler furiously, knowing that the wounds would heal quickly. She didn't realize that Jak had summoned a thin Green Eco Shield around his skin so that he did not feel the pain.

Maia lit her hands up and let a barrage of small Dark Eco Bombs about the size of footballs. Frantically, Jak dodged to the right, and Maia turned with him, trying to lead him as he unleashed dozens of Dark Eco bursts a second at him. Jak rose in the air and deflected one or two back at the Dark Sage. As she healed herself, Jak sent a massive blast down at her and she went flying down. Jak went down with her to meet her and the Robot rose again, its left arm glowing brightly again. Jak noticed how a giant ball of Yellow Eco had already formed on the end and was growing. Gol laughed maniacally as he launched the gargantuan attack at Jak, who just barely managed to get out of the way.

Jak flew forward to continue the battle but a rumbling stopped him. It was odd how he could feel rumbling when he was in the air, but a tremor seemed to be going through the entire planet. Jak turned around just in time to see the Silos open fully.

"No," Jak thought as Gol and Maia let out screams of identical laughter.

"I'm sorry Keira," Jak thought. "I have failed…"

* * *

Well, there you have it. The Silos are open, and now the true battle can begin. I'll probably start that in a week or two, so until then, Sayonara.

* * *

My Top Five Favorite Authors (They are listed alphabetically, not by preference.) I stopped Fanfictions because there were too many to reasonably lump together. 

1. Amathist Fwirrel

2. animedragongirl

3. Keeroshu

4. Light-Eco-Sage

5. Red Mage 04

* * *

Quote of the week- Anonymous (I think this is a good saying for the end of War of the Ancients Chapter Two) 

Anonymous: A soul consists of two separate parts that go into two separate people. The soul searches its whole life to find its other half, and when it finds it, it never wants to lose it again.


	31. Reminiscing

Okay, to anyone that came here that already read chapter one of Light Amongst Shadows: leave right now. This _is_ chapter one. Keeroshu got me thinking and I have decided that I shall make only one book for The Precursor Legacy. Sorry for wasting your time by you coming here.

As usual, here are the responses to the reviews people so kindly left me, since there might have been a problem with e-mail.

* * *

Keeroshu- Thank you for the comment on the finale, although I will probably lose a lot of people who read my story, knocking it down to two :P. I saved the happy ending for Light Amongst Shadows, and trust me, everyone will be happy. Except Gol. And Maia. Cara will be twenty four as you requested and as for the clothes, I was going to give her light blue pants, a green tee shirt and leather straps on the shoulders and below the knees. If that is okay then that will be what you get, but if you desire a more colorful appearance, then don't hesitate to let me know. Here's hoping I pull of the sequel in a semi-decent manner. 

Red Mage 04- The next time that you review, remember this. You take valuable time out of your day and life to let me know what you think and provide me with your wisdom. That being said, I am the one thanking you for reviewing, regardless of _when_ you reviewed. I hope that means that you will still be updating regularly on Fridays, since it gives me another reason to look forward to that happy day of the week. Thanks for the compliment on the battle, since I am kind of uneasy as to whether or not I pulled it off correctly. By correctly I mean realistically. I hope sincerely that you received the email, since I sent you that one and another one concerning the Wastelanders and a Precursor device. Hope you enjoy this chapter, even though a lot doesn't really happen. Oh and one question. Is your character indeed named Andrew, or would you like a different name?

Disclaimer- I own nothing of Jak and Daxter, but I am more entitled to this half of the story then they are, since they never did this (glares in Naughty Dog's direction).

* * *

Reminiscing 

"Jak…" Keira whispered as she looked down at the said elf's prone form. Daxter hovered nearby, not sure whether he should leave and let Keira express herself as she obviously desired or stay here by his friend's side. He continued to pace, not noticing that he was making a small circle as he walked in the same pattern repeatedly.

A low moan emanated from Jak's chest as he tossed and turned on his bed. Daxter ran out of the room to get some more cold water for Keira. As the glass filled up, Daxter wondered how his life had effectively gone right down the toilet. First he and Jak had gone to Misty Island, where he had been mutated into this horrible, useless, pathetic life form. He had then accompanied Jak to the Blue Eco Temple, where he had been no help whatsoever. The Lurker attack on the village, the first battle with Escuro, the ride through Fire Canyon, he had been useless on all of them. He had been of no help in the second Temple, or the battle with Klaww, or on Snowy Mountain Island. He had been worthless in the Spider Caves and on the journey through the Desert Colossus. Then they had gone to Wasteland Metropolis, the Lava Tube, Pampas Islet, and the Gale Canyon, where he had been even more useless than Jak's backpack, since it actually carried things for him. And then at last, at long last, he had managed to help Jak out slightly when he had fought Gol and Maia.

Daxter sighed with the air of one who has had nearly all his will sucked out. Gol and Maia. Although it had only been one month since the showdown with those sick people. Ever since then, they had been pushed back away from Gol's Citadel. At first, they had held their position at The City of The Sky for two weeks, but once the Lurkers had brought the City down to ground level, they had been forced to retreat. From there on, they had been pushed back all the way to Sandover, each time being forced to evacuate quicker than the last time. Daxter knew exactly why they kept losing. While most of the people argued that they lost because all six of the legendary Sages were fighting on Gol's side and leading the Lurkers, he and Keira stated that it was because Jak was unconscious. They had never lost a fight while Jak had been present, but now that he was absent from every fight, he, Keira, and whatever villagers they could rally got their asses handed to them.

Daxter pulled himself back to reality as the cup began to overfill. He shut off the tap and dried his hands before picking the glass up and carrying it back in the room. He nearly fainted when he walked in and saw Keira bending very Jak as though she were about to kiss him. Daxter began to back out of the room, his imagination quickly giving him gruesome images of what Keira would do to him if he interrupted this moment.

Unfortunately, Daxter could not see where he was going, and as a result, crashed into a bedside table. Keira jumped out of shock and looked around for the source of the disturbance. When she saw the orange rodent she growled and flexed her fingers as though she would love nothing better than to put them around Daxter's throat. As she stood up, she saw that for the first time, Daxter was quivering. The quivering itself was not what drew her attention, it was the fact that he was quivering because of her. Keira felt the anger drain out of her body as Daxter closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, as though he was preparing to have massive amounts of pain inflicted upon him. Keira looked behind Daxter and saw the small table he had bumped into. She cringed inwardly as she realized that he was actually trying to leave so as not to disturb her.

"Hey Dax," she said softly. Daxter opened his eyes and looked at her, surprised to still be alive. She held out her hand and he winced as she picked him up. He relaxed when she placed him on her shoulder and walked into the kitchen of Jak's house to get another glass of water.

"You think he'll be all right Dax?" Keira asked, so softly that Daxter had to strain to hear her over the sound on the running water, even though he was only about a foot away from her mouth.

"Of course. You know Jak: impossible to beat. C'mon, he's pulled himself out of stuff that's way worse than a coma," he said confidently, but his posture said otherwise: as Jak had not broken out of his mysterious sleep in a month, hope was rapidly decreasing that he would ever do so.

Keira gazed into space as she shut the tap off. As Daxter looked at her, concerned, she thought of all the trials Jak had faced. Every time, he had been pushed to his limits, and every time he had risen to the challenge. Daxter was right: Jak had pulled himself out of life threatening situations, but this unnatural sleep had her more concerned for him than ever before. He constantly twitched and groaned in his sleep, as though he were in pain.

Keira walked back into Jak's room and noticed that Jak's covers were mangled, as though he had been flailing about in her absence. This proved to be the case, as the powerful Channeler was groping around with his arm as though looking for something while his legs moved as though he were running. As Keira ran to try to calm him down, Jak's actions grew more and more violent. The instant she touched him, however, he became as calm as a newborn Flut-Flut. All of his muscles relaxed as Keira softly stroked his forehead, wishing she could somehow help him. A burst of anger flared up inside her all of a sudden. Every ounce of it was directed at the twisted Sages Gol and Maia Akaron. Why had they become insane and open the Dark Eco Silos? And why did they have the Sages under their control. As Daxter hadn't been able to describe what had happened very well, being in a terror induced delusion, Keira didn't know the details of what had happened after Jak and Daxter had seen the Silos open, but she knew that the Sages had been put under some kind of mind control.

Jak groaned again and clutched at his heart and stomach as though in pain. Keira could relate: she had been oddly ill ever since the Silos had been opened. Everyone complained of a slight stomachache, but Keira and Daxter had become nauseous on several occasions. The old feeling stirred in her stomach, but Keira forced the queasiness away and pressed a towel soaked in cool water against her friend's forehead. Jak's mouth opened and closed as though he were trying to talk, but Keira was unable to figure out what he was saying by reading his lips.

* * *

It was odd, floating around in nothingness. Nothingness was the only way to describe the place he had been placed in, Jak thought, although darkness could definitely be used as an effective substitute. The darkness lifted and Jak looked upon a scene which he had been seeing many times lately.

* * *

Jak flew forward to continue the battle but a rumbling stopped him. It was odd how he could feel rumbling when he was in the air, but a tremor seemed to be going through the entire planet. Jak turned around just in time to see the Silos open fully. "No," Jak thought as Gol and Maia let out screams of identical laughter. 

"I'm sorry Keira," Jak thought. "I have failed…"

* * *

Yes, he had revisited that scene many times lately. Jak struggled to move his body, but some force kept him bound as though ropes had him tied down. Even though he could not see, Jak could still sense the world around him. Usually he was surrounded by two great shining lights: Daxter and Keira. They rarely left his side, and while he was grateful for this, since whenever they left him, Jak was alone in the darkness that surrounded him, he felt guilty on another level. He was constantly in battle with the darkness that surrounded him, and although he grew stronger when his friends were near, he could never defeat it. And he knew that it was this darkness that kept him in this Legateeish limbo, this place where he could help neither himself nor others. 

Jak struggled to break through the shell of shadows that surrounded his very mind and felt his strength weaken as the two beings of light that were usually so close to him fade away. In his panic, Jak began to flail his body around wildly, as though by losing control he could somehow snap out of the trance he had been placed in. All of a sudden the larger light came back and touched him, and with that simple gesture, Jak felt all of his fear leave him and he relaxed. No longer did the darkness around him threaten to swallow him up: it had become calmer and more sedated with the presence of this luminous being.

As Keira let go of him, Jak once again immediately went into battle with his invisible foe that seemed to attack him from all sides. As he was held down and immobilized once again, another image from his mind rose up, this one just as familiar as the last one…

* * *

"RUN JAK!" Daxter screamed as the Dark Eco inside the Silo swirled and bubbled furiously as the last of the metal containing it was removed. A massive tremor seemed to shake the very foundations of Weyard before the clouds that had been churning and causing thunder and lightning to rain down upon the planet parted. Jak and Daxter looked around: this was too eerie. The Silos open and all of a sudden the weather clears up? 

The Dark Eco suddenly gushed out of the Silo and shot straight up into the deceptively clear sky. I continued to rise all the way into outer space. Jak waited for something to happen, but it seemed that all Gol had done was _remove_ the majority of Dark Eco from the planet. All of a sudden the sun began to shine. That in itself was not an unusual occurrence, as it was the sun. A small black dot appeared on the surface and began to spread. In a matter of seconds the entire sun was black with a blood red perimeter. As Jak wondered what the implications of this could possibly involve, a sudden wave of nausea swept over him and his body began to fall to the ground, despite his power of Blue Eco. Jak knew that he would have to retreat: to try to defeat Gol now would be suicide. As he flew back to the Citadel, Jak found it was getting harder and harder to keep his body afloat. He looked down at his Blue Eco Box readout and saw with a jolt that he was at one hundred percent capacity. The Dark Eco was overpowering his powers, and his ability to wield Eco was being blocked somehow.

As Jak landed on the Citadel and took the elevator on the top down, his knees shook uncontrollably and he collapsed. He began to Channel Green Eco into his legs in an attempt to give them strength. It worked, but slowly. As Jak got into the chamber that had drained everyone of their Eco and transferred it to the Precursor Robot, Jak saw all six Sages now fully conscious. All of them looked like Jak: sweaty and pale.

"Jak…" Samos rasped as he leaned on his staff for support, "you must get out of here." Jak hung his head in shame as Samos raised his eyes to look upon the ashamed Channeler. How could Jak ever look at Samos again? The man had been like a father to him these past years, and now he had failed the Sage in the biggest way possible.

As though he could read Jak's thoughts, Samos spoke once again. "All is not lost Jak. Though the Silos might be open, there is a way to restore balance. If you can open the Silos again, the Eco will return, but for now, leave this place." Jak nodded and walked over to Samos. With some difficulty he lifted the elderly Sage up and the two of them began to hobble towards the exit. As they reached the doors, an invisible force jerked Samos out of his hands and caused the Sage to go back into Gol's Citadel. Jak spun around and saw Gol himself hovering in midair, holding half a dozen odd devices and grinning triumphantly.

"You will not have the Sages you fool! Samos and the others are now under my control!" the demented Sage proclaimed as he threw five of the devices in his hands at Zeorro, Santar, Alecis, Potentia and Tarea. As each device hit home, the respective Sage's eyes turned a dull purple and they all bowed before Gol. Jak stared in horror as all of the Eco Sages pledged their allegiance to this monster that had twisted everything that Jak held dear. Samos extended his hands and Jak felt as though his entire body was being forced through a very tight rubber tube as he was teleported away. The last image he could recall was Samos having a device attached to his back and bowing to Gol like the others…

* * *

Jak struggled harder against his foe, desperate to get away from these terrible visions that plagued him constantly. He could sense Keira drawing nearer to him again and he tried to speak to her, hoping that somehow he could let her know how sorry he was for failing her.

* * *

"Keira, I think we should let the doctor see Jak. You might be Samos' daughter, but he would probably know a lot more about this than you." Keira sighed and nodded her head; as much as she hated to admit it, the doctor in Sandover was rather skilled, even if he wasn't a Sage. Margaret had been begging Keira to do the same thing, saying that if Keira let the doctor see Jak, then maybe he would be able to help. Thinking of the Amplifier caused Keira to notice her absence. 

"Where is Margaret anyway?" Keira asked. Daxter stared at the female elf in utter disbelief.

"She left about seven hours ago Keira, where have you been?" Keira was taken aback; had she really been watching Jak for seven hours without rest? She looked outside and received another shock: the moon was shining. Keira closed her eyes and looked away from the moon. Before the Silos had been opened, the silver moon had been a source of beauty and mystery for her. Intelligent though she was, whenever Keira looked at the moon, she just flat out refused to believe that it was nothing more than a giant rock rotating around Weyard. Now it was just another reminder of how she had failed to protect the planet. As the moon traveled through the air, its blood red color shone down, giving everything an evil looking appearance.

"We'll call the doctor in the morning Dax," Keira said as she stared out over the horizon. Daxter nodded his head and left her alone to mull over whatever thoughts she was thinking. As he settled into the small bed Hatu had made him, Daxter closed his eyes and tried to sleep. Sleep, however, did not seem to want to find Daxter, and the small rodent spent the night tossing and turning, the queasiness and aching he was feeling preventing him from sleeping. When he walked back in Jak's room, he saw something that he had never expected. Keira was lying next to Jak in his bed. She had curled her arms around him and for the first time in a month, Daxter thought that his friend finally looked content. There was a knock on the door and Daxter closed Jak's bedroom to answer it.

"Hello, is Jak in?" a voice asked.

"Yea but you can't, Lauren?" Daxter asked, surprised to see the female elf back so soon. True, they had been in Sandover for two days, but Daxter hadn't thought that anyone knew short of the group and the doctor.

"I saw some girl named Margaret yesterday and she said she was traveling with a couple of guys and a rat." Daxter glowered at her for this slight jibe, but otherwise ignored the crack at his form.

"Well, you can come in, but Keira's kinda with Jak and…" Daxter trailed off. Lauren turned a deep red as she realized what Daxter was trying to say and began to back out of the door. "No, not like that. She's sleeping with, er. Just come on in and see them, its okay." Lauren raised her eyebrow at this but shrugged it off as Daxter being himself.

As the two of them walked down to Jak's bedroom Lauren looked down at the rodent walking next to her. "So, what's with the weird sun?"

Daxter hiccupped and glared at Lauren. "What makes you think I had anything to do with it?" A triumphant look plastered itself onto her face.

"You just told me, dolt." Daxter snorted at her and silently chided himself for letting her know that they were directly connected to what could only be described as the Apocalypse.

"Keira, wake up!" Daxter shouted as they entered Jak's bedroom. Keira's eyes immediately snapped open and she fell of the bed in shock at seeing one of her best friends standing right in front of her.

"Lauren, hi!" Keira said as she got up. Lauren rolled her eyes at Keira before laughing and the two of them embraced. Daxter let out a whistle, earning himself a couple of death glares. He simply ignored the fact that he was facing death and began commenting on how he would love to see the two girls together.

"So, Keira," Lauren commented lightly as Daxter mumbled something about pretty birds and stars over in the corner, "what's with sleeping beauty over here?"

"We don't know. Ever since the whole Silo thing, he's been unconscious."

"'Silo thing'?"

Keira sighed and began to tell Lauren everything: Fire Canyon, Rock Village, the dirigible, Mountain Pass, Volcanic Village, Snowy Mountain Island, Desert Colossus, Lava Tube, Wasteland Metropolis, Oceanus, Pampas Islet, and The City of The Sky. As she continued to tell the story, Lauren's eyes became wider and wider.

"So that explains the weird sun and moon we've had lately." Keira nodded sadly. "Is… is there any way to reverse it?"

"I… I just don't know. Maybe, but Dad's the only one that would know."

"So, how do we go around rescuing him?"

"'We?'"

"Yup, we. I'm gonna come with you guys this time, and nothing you can say will make me stay here." Keira opened her mouth to argue but closed it as another knock on the door sounded.

"Come in," she shouted. An elf walked in and set a bag down on the floor.

"So, vere ist ze patient?" he asked with a powerful accent.

"He's, uh, right here," Keira said as she pointed to the prone elf. The doctor immediately rushed over and began inspecting Jak. Keira paced back and forth as the doctor gave Jak a look over. Eventually the doctor stopped his examination and looked at Keira.

"Zis ist bad. Very very bad."

"What is it?" Keira asked, fear clutching at her heart.

"Zeese odd phenomenon ist affecting his body and he ist in a coma. I cannot say ven he vill break out of it, but," the doctor paused.

"But what?" Keira asked, not sure if she wanted to know.

"He vill die if he does not come out of zis coma in three veeks." Keira gulped as she looked at Jak.

"How could he die when he looks so peaceful?" she wondered. "Is there anything we can do to help bring him out of it?" she asked desperately.

"Maybe. It ist said zat people are in comas can hear ozers talk to zem. It ist only a suggeschion zat you should try to talk to him. It might snap im out ov it."

"Okay. Thank you ," Keira mumbled as she led the doctor out of the house.

"So, do you think we should talk to him?" Lauren asked as Keira came back. Keira didn't respond at first, being too busy staring at the object of her infatuation.

"Hey, Keira. Are we gonna talk to Jak?" Daxter shouted, which finally seemed to get through to her.

"Yea, later, yea," she said softly. Lauren and Daxter looked at her oddly but otherwise ignored the way her eyes flashed in pain as she looked at Jak.

"Okay, I'm gonna go find Margaret and er, the other guy and figure out a way out of this mess." Keira glared at Daxter for mentioning Hatu and Lauren immediately turned to her as the small animal left.

"What other guy? You're not seeing anyone are you?"

"Of course not. You know I would never give up on Jak."

"Ooooooooooh, speaking of which, how are the two of you?"

"Horrible. We've been together alone more times than I care to count, and every fricking time, we get interrupted. I mean, can't me and Jak have five minutes alone together without some kind of Legateeish catastrophe occurring?" Keira began before exploding completely.

"Relax Keir, sheesh. You're the last one I would have thought would blown a gasket." Keira shot her friend a look before taking a deep breath and sitting down.

"Your right. I guess one day I'll kiss Jak."

"Sure you will. The time will come when it does. Now, who's this other guys," Lauren asked, noticing how her friend's posture immediately went from being exhausted to fully alert and nervous.

"He's, er. Well, uh. Now, don't jump to conclusions and let me tell you everything before you say anything okay?" Lauren nodded, but she didn't see the reason for Keira telling her not to talk: she trusted her friend's judgment. "His name is Hatu." Lauren nodded, silently instructing Keira to go on. "He's… a Lurker." Keira mumbled the last part, but to no avail: Lauren heard.

"HE'S A WHAT?" she shrieked, no doubt rousing some small animals that had been hoping to sleep in that day.

"Let me finish telli-" Keira tried to say but was cut off.

"Why are you traveling with a _Lurker_?" Lauren shouted again.

"It's a long story. It begins with another named Wartstal. Jak got captured by Lurkers on Snowy Mountain Island, and he was taken to their fortress. A Lurker saved him and began traveling with us. Hatu was his half brother; half Lurker, half elfin. During our assault on Gol's Citadel, Wartstal did some weird technique where he fused his and Hatu's bodies together. Hatu has never betrayed us once and I don't think he will do so now. He saved my life last week and nearly got himself killed in the process." Keira finished defiantly.

Lauren was more that a mite stunned at this rather unexpected outburst. "So, you… trust him?" Keira looked at Lauren, her eyes burning with a mixture of passion and anger.

"With my life," she stated simply. This seemed to be good enough for Lauren, who settled back down before jumping up and running out of the house, telling Keira she would be back in a few minutes with Kristen. Keira sighed, not looking forward at all at the prospect of having to re-explain everything again.

When the two girls came back in, Keira offered a weak smile at them. Kristen and Lauren returned the gesture as they sat down.

"So, I guess you wanna know where I've been for the past five months huh?" Keira said as she wearily smiled once again.

"Nope," Kristen said with a grin, "Lauren filled me in. I still find it hard to believe that there's a decent Lurker out there."

"I know how you feel. That's what I thought at first, but he's grown on me."

"So… how's Mike and Bryan?" Keira asked, eager to be filled in on the local gossip and to get the topic off of her for a while.

"Well, me and Bryan are talking about moving in together, since we both have jobs and I need to move out of my house soon," Lauren said as she picked at her fingernails.

"Me and Mike are thinking about that too. Why doesn't Jak move in with you: his uncle is never here?" Kristen commented.

"I asked Dad, but he said 'under no circumstances will that boy come live here and have unlimited time with my daughter!' The next day he had to call Jak over to repair the roof," Keira said with a giggle. Jak suddenly moaned and began to move around sporadically. Keira rushed over to him and cradled his face in her lap and Jak immediately calmed down. Keira sighed as she looked down at the powerful Channeler and then looked over at her friends, who were giggling again.

"What?" Keira asked in an almost defensive tone. Her two friends smirked at each other deviously.

"Well, I think we just discovered the cure for Jak." Lauren said.

"What is it?" Keira asked frantically, praying that her friends weren't pulling her leg.

"You," the two of them said simultaneously.

"What?" Keira asked, puzzled.

"You saw the way he calmed down as you touched him," Lauren stated.

"Maybe of you give him a good kiss he'll wake up," Kristen said slyly, causing Keira's face to do a sudden impersonation of a tomato.

"That's ridiculous," Keira said as she concentrated on getting her face back to its normal cream color rather than the deep shade of crimson that it was at the moment.

* * *

"Well it's obvious isn't it? We just have to battle our way back up to the Citadel," Margaret said, as if doing so would be just as easy as going to the market and picking up half a gallon of milk. 

"Oh yea that sounds real easy. There's just the minor matter of battling the Lurker Army, Six Sages, and freeing eleven areas from Gol's grip!" Daxter screamed, becoming nearly hysterical.

"Daxter's right Margaret," Hatu stated.

"For once," Margaret muttered.

"Yeah so, HEY!" Daxter shouted as Hatu and Margaret laughed. He sat down and muttered a few threats that he claimed would show the two of them who was the boss.

"Seriously, this is going to be difficult, doubly so with Benedict still being on Gol's side."

"Your right," Margaret said, her eyes becoming depressed as she remembered the last time she had seen her brother. He seemed less human than ever, with a Precursor artifact sealing up the hole she had punched in his chest. Now he could become invisible with the artifact's aid, making him more powerful and deadlier than ever before.

* * *

"What's that?" Keira asked as screaming and yelling drew closer to the hut. 

"Dunno," Lauren said as she went outside to take a look. Keira and Kristen shared a puzzled look for a second before Lauren came rushing back in, her hair disheveled.

"Lurkers!" she gasped.

"What?" Keira and Kristen asked at the same time.

"Lurkers have been spotted near the Fire Canyon," Lauren exclaimed.

"Let's go," Kristen said as she and Lauren rushed to get some equipment to use against the Lurkers.

"I'll be there in a second," Keira called after them. As her two friends left, Keira turned around and looked imploringly at Jak.

"Come back soon Jak," she whispered, hoping he could somehow hear her. "We need you…"

* * *

So, that's what happened. Or at least, what I think would happen if the Dark Eco Silos were ever opened. Please review, and for those who don't I am sorry that I have wasted your time. One request. If you do send a review, please tell me if I should stop right here and avoid embarrassing myself further by destroying any semblance of whatever plot I might have managed to create last time. And I apologize for the stupid, sappy, pathetic excuse I give for romance.

* * *

My Top Five Favorite Authors (They are listed alphabetically, not by preference.) 

1. Amathist Fwirrel

2. animedragongirl

3. Keeroshu

4. Light-Eco-Sage

5. Red Mage 04

* * *

Quote of the week- Mark Twain 

Mark Twain: Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But then I repeat myself…


	32. Enigmas Explained

Once again, in case there was something wrong with your e-mail and you did not receive the responses I put, here they are below.

* * *

Keeroshu- Thanks for the confidence booster, and I hope that you like other plot things I've come up with. I will have Dark Jak, but whether or not he should make a debut in this book is still up in the air. But if I do decide to do it, it will be only once, and it will sort of open the eyes of everyone to the fact that Jak is a Dark Channeler. I'll let you know if I decide to give Dark Jak his first showing, but again, it won't be until the near end. Glad you like the clothes, and don't worry about the writer's block. Writer's block is like a cold: it lasts a couple of weeks no matter what you do. That being said, I hope you enjoy the next chapter. Just so you know, I received the information on Cara, and I will make her the way you desire. 

Silver-WindScar- Thanks very much for the compliment. I like that quote very much. If you liked where I'm going with the whole Jak and Keira thing, then I think you will like the end of the next chapter. Also, the true reason for his sudden unconsciousness will be explained this chapter. Hopefully, I will live up to your standards and continue to entertain you with this horrible writing.

Crazy Ottsel- Thanks very much for choosing to read this story, and I hope that I do not disappoint you. I hope that you read the first book first, although nowguess you must have if you are still here.because like I stated last chapter, you might get confused by some developments that happen this chapter. Well, here is chapter thirty two, and I do hope I please.

Red Mage 04- Thanks for not thinking I'm a total idiot, though countless others will probably disagree with you. Yup, Keira is gonna be leading the battles now, at least for a short time. I know how flying can be, and I am thankful that you took the time to read and review my story. On a similar note, I'm grateful that you give me reviews longer than "Good job." Thanks very much for doing that.

animedragongirl- Hope you enjoyed San Diego. Got your email concerning your character's personality and yours will be the easiest, for a very simple reason. I'm smart (by my standards) and I lack common sense, so thanks for choosing that particular combination.

Disclaimer- I do not own any of this, lawyers, please get this through your heads: I am getting tired of saying it. And its depressing me.

* * *

Enigmas Enlightened 

"Keira, come on!" Kristen shouted from outside.

"Coming," she shouted. Keira got up and then looked back at Jak one last time. Without even thinking about it, she walked over to his body and embraced it, noticing that it was warm to the touch. Regretfully, Keira removed herself from his body and went to join her friends.

"How many?" Keira asked as she caught up to her friends.

"We're not sure," Lauren said as she slipped into a leather vest.

"We think about five hundred: mostly Scouts and Generals," Kristen said. Keira's eves widened in disbelief: never before had so many Lurkers attacked the village at once.

* * *

It was with a grim face that Keira led the rest of the village to the Fire Canyon, where a small army of Lurkers waited for them. She was bluntly surprised that the Lurkers hadn't attacked yet. At first the Mayor had called for a defensive battle, but seeing as how they had been waiting from ten in the morning until six at night, they decided to finally bring the war to the Lurkers. Why Mayor Manic had waited so long to make such a decision that was beyond her ability to grasp. 

"Keira!" a voice called out from the mass of Lurkers. Said elf looked baffled as all eyes turned to look at her. Everyone was astounded when the mass of Lurkers parted enough to allow one person to pass through. Keira was too stunned to do anything, so Lauren took charge and gave her a little nudge on the back. Keira stumbled forward and mechanically began walking between the Lurkers, her mind racing to try to figure out who could be calling her.

"Ah, Keira," the voice sounded as she neared the back. Keira let out a gasp as she laid eyes on the speaker: it was none other than Benedict. She wondered why she hadn't recognized his voice immediately for a second before taking in his new look.

All in all, Keira thought, the elf had had one Legatee of a makeover. His entire body had been restored, but as to how whoever had healed him had managed it was beyond her. Keira looked at his legs, both of which were flesh, up to his chest, where he wore nothing. Keira saw the outlines of a small machine beneath the skin and assumed that the elf had requested that it remain, as invisibility was an enormous advantage over the opponent. She also noticed that the skin covering the machine was the only bit of fresh skin: almost everywhere else looked merely like a mass of scar tissue. His arms were restored as well, and Keira wondered for a second what Gol and Maia had done with the prosthetic Precursor replacement he had worn up till now. As Keira's gaze rose once more, she saw that his face had been restored and cleansed of all the scars and deformations that had previously covered it. His hair, which hadn't been there the last time Keira had seen him, was now back: light brown and matted down like it had been before. For a wild second Keira imagined that he had changed back to her side and was ready to fight Gol.

Or at least, she thought that before he opened his eyes.

Keira involuntarily stepped back from that gaze: that horrible yellow and black mixture that was so inhuman. She noticed that his eye had apparently been restored, either that or he had painted the Precursor fake to match the other eye.

"Keira, it is time to end this. Just say you'll come with me, and Gol promises to leave your village alone." As he spoke, Keira realized why she hadn't recognized his voice: it was back to the way it used to be; no longer filled to the brim with hatred and malice. "Just leave Jak behind and come with me. I promise to leave the village and I swear that we will not attack it ever again. All you have to do is leave that pathetic weakling and come with me."

At this comment, Keira stepped back up and Benedict noticed a definite difference in her stance. Where it had been hesitant and submissive at first, now it was dominant and aggressive. She marched right up to him and the Lurkers that were sentient and any elves that were high enough to see what was going on were stunned at the sight they saw, while every other elf merely wondered at the loud crack that split the air like a whip.

Keira brought her hand back, the red handprint giving her a small, grim feeling of satisfaction. Benedict looked at her, utterly stunned. She had never actually hit him in all the time that he had switched sides. Benedict raised his eyes to look Keira in her face and stepped back. Her eyes were full of something worse than fear, worse than anger, worse than even hatred.

Keira's eyes were filled to the brim with disgust.

"Don't you _dare_ call Jak pathetic. He's much better than _you_," Keira snarled. The words went through Benedict like an icy knife and he quickly pulled himself back together and unwisely decided to argue with her.

"Oh yeah? Well which one of us here? Looks like the little coward took off," he gloated.

"Jak _can't_ be here, since you guys did something to him and now he won't wake up."

"Well then that answers the question of which one of us is stronger. If he really is as powerful as you claim, then why isn't he here?" Benedict unwisely taunted. Keira turned scarlet with suppressed rage and it was taking every ounce of her determination not to strike him again and risk his wrath, since she was surrounded by a few hundred Lurkers.

"Keira, I will offer you one last chance. Come with me, or the entire village dies," Benedict said in a loud voice, making sure that his threat carried to every ear in the village. "Will you choose that worthless weakling at the cost of lives? Hundreds of lives that you will be responsible for?" Keira knew that there was no other choice: she would have to go with Benedict. However miserable she might be, she would always get a small amount of comfort from the fact that her village would be safe. And if the village was safe, then there was always the chance that Jak would be all right and live.

"I… I will come with you," Keira said, loathing dripping out of every syllable. Benedict paid no attention however, and picked her up bridal style. Keira shivered: when Jak had done this on Misty Island, she could feel his desire to protect and help her. Now that Benedict was doing it she could feel only selfish desire and savage triumph. Benedict closed his eyes and began to concentrate on teleporting the two of them out of the area when a rock hit his face. He opened his eyes and looked around for the non-Channeler that would dare to hit him and he saw a girl march up to him. His shock was transferred to the Lurkers, who parted for her as they had for Keira, thinking that their leader had some business with this elf.

"Keira told us about you, you pathetic bastard," Kristen said to him, her anger covering up her fear completely. "Using us as a ransom to get her: you sicken me. Go ahead, kill us all. See how much she likes you then." Kristen snarled at Benedict, who took a step back despite himself. Although she was not a Channeler, this elf was a damned scary sight, with those eyes that seemed to be nothing less than orange flames. "And you claim to love her," Kristen continued. "You make me sick," Kristen finished- and spat at his feet.

In an instant, Benedict had put Keira down on her own two feet and grabbed the girl by the throat. His strength was such that he could have easily snapped her neck or suffocated her. Instead he chose to merely squeeze her throat tight enough to inflict some pain and lifted her a few inches above the ground.

"Insolent bitch," he growled, "have you _any_ idea who you are speaking to? Were it not for the fact that Keira is here, I would kill you. Slowly. And rest assured, cross me again and I will make you beg for death before killing you," he said before lifting her up a few more inches.

"You think you can frighten me? I have no fear of you, you pathetic low-life," Kristen said before spitting at him again. Her saliva got him right in the eye and she reflected happily on the fact that at least she had caused him some discomfort.

"That was your last chance. I don't think I'll actually kill you, but my friends have been pestering me for something to eat," Benedict said, quite calmly as opposed to the tone of voice that he had previously used with her. "Of course, they don't like sharing, so I'm afraid you'll be in for a rather nasty game of tug-of-war," he said, grinning, before he hurled her into a circle where there were no Lurkers. As the creatures swarmed on her, a sudden beam of energy blew a good thirty of them away. Benedict looked for the source of the beam, thinking for a second that Jak had broken free, and then saw another Channeler. Keira took this time to begin crawling back to her comrades. Although she could not go through the Lurker tribe, if she climbed the small cliff behind Benedict, she could link up with her companions quite easily.

"Hello, sister," he said with a twisted smile.

"Don't even call me that, you sick freak. I regret being born a relative to you," Margaret hissed. Benedict heard what she said anyway.

"Well then, I assume we have nothing to talk about?" he asked as he began walking toward her, his aura flaring out to indicate that he was summoning his Channeling abilities.

"Not unless you want me to talk with my hands," Margaret shouted before she leapt at her own sibling.

That one event was the spark that ignited the flames of war.

Elves launched themselves at the Lurkers, who eagerly returned the favor. As the first Lurkers fell, the others realized that these elves were not the despairing, easy to conquer elves that they had so far encountered. No, these had fire in their hearts and spirits, and they would not stop.

* * *

Hatu emerged from his cave, dressed in elfin clothing so that he was distinguishable, and looked at the chaos that was occurring. 

"_I wish I did not have to fight_," he thought. As usual, the voice of his half brother sounded within his own mind. This form of communication he had with his now deceased sibling helped to calm Hatu down, not to mention be a voice of understanding whenever Hatu needed to talk to someone.

**_"I wish that as well. But wishing will not do anything unless we attempt to put our wishes into reality. Although blood will be spilt, there is a simple way to end this conflict before all are massacred."_**

"How is that?" Hatu spoke aloud. He had grown so used to this form of communication that he now spoke with his sibling out loud unconsciously.

**_"Benedict. If we take him out, then everything else will fall. You know the army: stacked like a giant domino trail. If the first one falls…"_**

"Then the others will follow…" Hatu muttered. He took the Eco Saber he had on his belt off and he leapt out of his cave, hoping that the surprise of his attack might give him the surprise he would need to slay Benedict.

* * *

Kristen screamed as Lurkers swarmed on her, their claws groping at her body, ripping her clothes and pulling her hair. Each of the Lurkers was trying to get the succulent looking elf to themselves so that they might be the only one to enjoy a nice meal. One fortunate side effect of this was the fact that they were fighting themselves. The other was that they were so fixated on the one helpless elf that many of them forgot about the hundred or so armed ones, leading to a quick massacre of about eighty or so Lurkers. 

As a Lurker got a grip around Kristen's legs, another got a hold of her arms. Kristen screamed with pain as the two Scouts began tugging on her, each hoping the wrench her out of the other's grip. The others stood back, hoping to attack the one who was the victor before he could eat the helpless elf. What nobody except Kristen herself seemed to realize, that such a strain on an elf's body would result in the flesh simply ripping apart.

Fortunately, this was not to be the case.

A majority of the onlookers were curious as to the reason why the two Scouts vying for the elf suddenly slumped to the floor. The answer was revealed when they noticed the arrows sticking out of the Scouts' skulls. Three turned around just in time to have their own arrows imbedded in their heads, white another ten were blown apart by a couple of well-placed Eco Grenades.

Keira and Margaret landed near the circle of Lurkers, Keira armed with a bow and Kristen with two glowing orbs of Yellow Eco. The two females looked at each other and nodded, an unspoken agreement between them. Keira launched to the right, firing arrows all the while. One thing that one would quickly notice was the fact that said arrows were no longer simply wood and stone. A few of them detonated on impact, sending bits and pieces of the Lurkers' bodies that hadn't been incinerated on impact flying through the air. As the beasts began to get closer, Keira realized that eventually she would be caught up in one of the explosions, and as she had no motivations to leave this world and move on to the next, she stopped using the exploding arrows and began using another type. As she loaded three more arrows into the string, Keira took aim at a Lurker behind the wall that chased her. As she loosed the arrows, they seemed to vanish and appear fifty feet away. Eight Lurkers dropped to the ground, holes through vital organs and bone, while three Generals struggled to get the arrows that had gone through their armor and imbedded themselves in their chests out.

* * *

Margaret smirked as minor explosions sounded on the other side of the clearing. Keira had been a genius, thinking of incorporating the power of Eco into the heads of the arrows. Although she hadn't found out what would happen if she used Green or Red Eco, she had discovered that the Blue Eco would allow the Eco to travel so fast that it would pierce flesh, blood and bone and then continue to travel. Surprisingly, the Yellow Eco detonated on contact. Margaret would have thought that the Red Eco would do that, since Yellow Eco was usually much less volatile than Red Eco. 

Margaret pulled herself back to the present when a small army of Lurkers attacked. Instead of simply vaporizing them with a Yellow Eco Beam, which was quite within her powers, Margaret opted to toss Grenades at them until they got too close to do so safely. She then used hand to hand combat, enhancing her strength with Red Eco so that with a single punch Margaret could cave in a Lurker's chest. The reason why she did not use long range attacks was simple: she did not want to be responsible for the death of fellow elves.

* * *

Hatu landed softly on the ground about twenty feet away from Benedict. The savage elf was overseeing the battle, making sure that the tide would not turn in the favor of the elves. Those who managed to literally carve their way through Lurkers in an attempt to destroy him were valiant, Hatu thought. Valiant, but stupid. 

_"Honestly, if Jak, Margaret, Keira and I were unable to bring him down, why do these elves literally throw their lives away on such a foolish assassination attempt?"_ Hatu wondered. He received a shock when his brother answered him: he had not been projecting his thoughts, so he had not expected Wartstal to pick up on them.

**_"They do it because it gives them courage. And I am sure that at least one of those poor fools is doing it to impress a woman… And I can always hear your thoughts Hatu, I just usually decide not to comment,"_** the voice sounded in Hatu's head, giving the Lurker a mental vision of his brother. Hatu could just imagine Wartstal, an amused smirk on his face as he divulged a piece of information that made Hatu realize how much access his brother now had to his thoughts.

_"You mean you've-"_

**_"Picked up on your thoughts of that female soon-to-be insurgent? Yes,"_** his brother mentally responded, laughing, not unkindly, at his brother's blush.

Hatu shook his head and concentrated on the mission at hand: taking out Torqueo and reducing the leaders of Gol's movement by a quarter. The fact that the demented Channeler was protected by a dozen Lurker Berserkers did nothing to dampen his intentions, on the contrary, it simply solidified his resolve to kill Torqueo. Once Torqueo was dead, Gol would be next. And once the Dark Sage was killed, Hatu would try to lead the Lurkers. Hopefully he would be able to lead them farther to the north, away from elves. When that happened, maybe the senseless slaughtering would stop. Hatu took his Eco Saber out and activated it silently, praying that the dozen bodyguards would not hear. If they did, then his sneak attack would be negated and then he would have to fight Torqueo head on. Although it was an underhanded method, Hatu was unsure if he would be able to defeat the Adaptor Channeler on a level playing field. As he stealthily crept towards the nearest guard, he did not notice a figure land behind him and begin to do the same. The only difference between the two figures were their targets: Hatu was ultimately aiming for Torqueo, whereas the crouching figure was aiming for the renegade Lurker.

* * *

Daxter sat on the edge of the bed, having nearly a panic attack. He was torn between loyalties. On the one hand, he should go help Keira, since he would be an extra set of eyes at the very least. But on the other hand, doing so would leave his best friend totally unprotected. And if a stray Lurker was to bypass everyone else and make its way here, it would make short work of the Bane of The Lurkers. In the end, Daxter decided to stay with his friend. True, he might be accused later of being a shameless coward, but at least he could live with the knowledge that he did not abandon his friend. Not that he thought for a second that Keira or Kristen or Bryan or any of his friends had abandoned Jak. They needed to go and fight to prevent the Lurkers from getting to the unconscious Channeler in the first place. Daxter noticed that Jak was shaking again and quickly put the cool compress to his forehead, relaxing only when Jak breathed a deep sigh of relief: reflexively relaxing as his body was cooled down. 

Daxter looked at his friend and his worry deepened. Jak had used to have white skin, tanned nearly brown as a result of being outside sixteen hours a day on average. Now it was a ghostly, deathly grey. Daxter knew it wasn't because Jak's skin hadn't seen sunlight in a month, because it had. Daxter knew for a fact that his friend was dying. And despite what the doctor had said, Daxter feared that Jak had maybe three or four days left at best. Daxter paced back and forth, racking his brains to come up with a solution to this problem.

As he examined the problem, Daxter realized what a vicious cycle the malady was. He knew that Jak's illness was connected to Gol somehow, he just didn't know exactly how. He also knew that because Jak was incapacitated, they were losing the war against Gol. As a result, Gol's power was spreading as well as becoming stronger. Because of this, Jak's condition was worsening, and from there the cycle repeated itself.

Daxter was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't realize a figure clothed completely in black enter the room. The figure silently drew a long, wicked looking blade out of a holster on the side of its belt…

* * *

Margaret leapt into the air as a Lurker shot a Yellow Eco Blast at her. As she landed, Margaret swung her hand and a scythe of Yellow Eco sliced right through the Lurker. It let out a horrible death wail as its body split in half, its upper half landing in a pool of its own lifeblood. Margaret lingered on this slight victory an instant too long and a crushing blow impacted the back of her head. She fell to her knees, dazed. She clutched her skull tightly, trying not to pass out, for she knew that to do so would be to basically post a sign over her body that said in big bright letters, "FREE MEAL!" Another blow drove her body to the floor and she looked up in time to see a Lurker General lean down over her, its mouth opening wide to engulf her body. As the General bent down to devour the helpless elf in front of it, a scream tore its way through the small field where the battle was taking place. 

And the body of the General fell to the ground, smoking.

Margaret stood up, shaking from a mixture of apprehension and fear. She looked down at the corpse and noticed small arcs of purple electricity crackling over the body. Margaret looked over to her blood brother and saw him with his hand outstretched, a look of fury covering his face.

"Bro- brother?" Margaret asked, for she had not seen him in a week, and he had changed so much. With the exception of his eyes, he looked as he had before this mess had started and pulled his soul to darkness. "Why did you save me?" she asked quietly, for the last time they had come face to face, they had battled and Margaret had dealt him a nearly fatal blow.

"Sister…" Benedict whispered, the yellow in his eyes beginning to recede. Margaret showed no external changes, but she was celebrating wildly inside. Her presence had once again sparked the goodness she knew was still within her brother, and the darkness within his heart was beginning to ebb. Benedict began to walk over to her slowly, his eyes now white and black. Margaret reached out to him with her hand open, ready to embrace her brother again now that he was returning to the light.

Suddenly, Benedict fell to the ground, clutching his head and screaming in agony. Margaret rushed over to him but stepped back as a shield of solid Dark Eco rose over him, preventing her from reaching her sibling. His screams grew louder and louder as the shield grew darker, until finally they ceased to exist. Margaret looked at the prone form of her brother and felt her heart move up into her chest. Although she had loathed her brother for turning to Gol's side, and although she had blown a hole through his chest, she had never really wanted to kill him. Now, as she watched his still body, tears threatened to fall from her eyes as she closed them. As she turned away, unable to bear the sight of her brother any longer, a small movement caught her eye. Margaret turned and saw her brother's chest move. A wave of relief flooded her body, making her feel almost giddy: her brother was alive.

Margaret ran to him but stopped when she saw his face. His eyes were no longer yellow and black, nor were they white and dark brown. The parts that were supposed to be white were now a solid black, while the pupil had turned into a fiery red. Margaret looked into the eyes, looking for a small trace of her brother, but to no avail. All of a sudden, Margaret realized the truth: this _thing_ was not her brother. There was no look of recognition in his eyes, only hatred- hatred, and a desire to kill everything that moved. Without a word, whatever was possessing her brother's body summoned a Dark Eco Blade and rushed in, screaming an incoherent battle cry as he sliced viciously…

* * *

Hatu let loose a stream of curses as Torqueo leapt off after an unseen foe. The foul language caught the attentions of the two remaining Berserkers, who quickly drew their weapons and charged him. Hatu leapt into the air and spun around, slicing the head of one of the Berserkers off and nearly decapitating the other. Hatu watched as the one who he had not managed to behead dropped to the floor, its head held on by half an inch of skin and sinew. Not for the first time did Hatu realize how much stronger the Synthesis had made him. Although his body was built like an elf's he could leap fifteen feet in the air effortlessly, and he recalled lifting a boulder easily three times his weight over his head to save Keira one time. 

"Well, well, well. I guess the runt of the litter improved a little," a sneering voice said. Hatu spun around as he brought up both his Eco Sabers, just in time to block two others from sheering him into three pieces.

"Gravis," Hatu snarled as he looked at his foe. "Still wiping Gol's ass then? Or is it harder ever since you lost half your arms?" Gravis glared at the strange Lurker who had been seen killing foes that he should never have been able to overcome. Gol had ordered Gravis to destroy the enigmatic Lurker, and that was exactly what Gravis planned to do. Hatu smirked as he saw Gravis' lip curl, unpleasant memories of how he had been crippled by Jak…

* * *

Just as Gravis began his attack, Jak unleashed a massive blast of fire, catching the sword-wielding Lurker off guard. As he went flying back, Jak swung his Blade and sent streams of Yellow Eco flying along the ground. Gravis landed in a heap from the sheer power of the fire blast Jak had hit him with. He let out a swear as he saw the ground-based attack traveling towards him. As he leapt over it, he heard something above and looked up only to get kicked in the face. 

As Gravis went hurtling down, Jak sent another couple of slashes at him. These hit and Gravis cried out at the Eco ripped through his body, causing lacerations and incisions to appear everywhere. He quickly got to his feet, realizing that to remain on the floor would be bad. Jak landed and grabbed two of Gravis' arms before leaning back and kicking his enemy right in the face. Gravis staggered back and Jak jumped and flipped over his. As he began his descent, Jak summoned a Yellow Eco Blade and hoped what he was planning worked. Gravis spun around in a vain attempt to prevent Jak from inflicting the damage he wanted to but was not fast enough. Gravis screamed as Jak made his strike, but it was to be expected.

Such was usually one's reaction after having two arms hacked off.

* * *

Gravis pulled himself back to the present as Hatu rushed in, both of them twirling their Sabers around in dances of death…

* * *

As Keira caused another explosion, she ducked behind a rock and cursed at the inopportune moment the sun had chosen to set. Cursed though it was, the sun still gave off light, though whether Keira wanted to see the withering world for much longer she didn't know. 

"Mayor," she cried into her communicator.

"Yaa-hmm?" Manic answered.

"We can't see what we're doing down here. Turn on the power," Keira shouted into the communicator, an explosion of a Dark Eco Container almost drowning out her words.

Instantly, the giant windmill in town lit up, causing a small blue sun to flood the world in light, giving everyone the means by which they could see their enemy.

Keira relaxed as the remaining Lurkers finally began to back away, leaving her alone. A sudden rumbling behind her caused her to turn around. Keira's face turned pale as she watched a Lurker approach her. She recognized the type instantly as a Behemoth, but it was her size, not the twenty foot giants that she was used to seeing.

"Surprised?" The Lurker said. Keira reeled back: the only Lurkers that she had heard speak Elfin was Hatu and Wartstal. "Yes, I know your language. Perhaps you are wondering why I am so small? The answer is simple: Wartstal is not the only Lurker who knows the Synthesis technique." Keira's eye widened as she understood what the Lurker was trying to tell her, since Hatu had explained exactly what Synthesis involved. She activated an Eco Saber and adopted a defensive stance as the being attacked with an Eco Saber of its own…

* * *

"Lauren, are you all right?" Bryan bellowed as he rushed to his girlfriends aid. He swung the katana his father had given him for his birthday and the Scout that had grabbed her fell to the ground. Lauren sparred him a grateful look but did not say anything, since she was concentrating on shooting down Lurkers with Keira's special arrows. Suddenly a yell made her turn around. A long Lurker had shot up out of the ground and had Bryan clutched in its mouth. The katana had dropped out of his hand and Lauren quickly loaded a Yellow Eco arrow and launched it. As the arrow flew towards the beast, the Lurker dropped Bryan and dived into the ground. Bryan quickly grabbed his katana and pressed his back to Lauren, both of them knowing that the Lurker was just waiting for them to drop their guard so it could attack again…

* * *

"Mike, where are you?" Kristen shouted as he vanished from view, the dust that had risen up from one of the Yellow Eco arrows that she had fired. Had she known that the container she had aimed at was filled with Dark Eco, she would never have shot at it. Now she was alone, and it was that fact that frightened her more than anything else. 

"Right behind you," a calm voice stated. Kristen jumped about thirty feet in the air as a hand grabbed her shoulder and spun around to see Mike, smirking as he laughed at her. She playfully smacked him in the chest. For a split second they reveled in each other's presence, but quickly pulled themselves back to reality as a Lurker Warrior stepped out of the shadows and drew its sword and shield, bellowing as it rushed them all. Mike knew that his strength wouldn't be very much, but he hoped that the gloves Keira had given to him, which seemed to be made out of Precursor metal, and which she said had once belonged to Jak, might even the odds. After all, anything the Precursors made was usually very powerful. Unlocking the power was the tricky part. He offered a quick prayer to the Precursors as the Warrior charged, knocking aside the normal arrows that Kristen was letting loose…

* * *

"Damn that wench!" Gol raged as he stood from his throne. His sister looked supremely unconcerned as his aura flared, causing nearby object to either detonate, melt, or be thrown across the room. 

"The Amplifier again?" she asked coolly.

"Of course, who else?" Gol thundered. "Whenever she goes near him, he always fights and this time he nearly broke my grip on his mind. Now I have to take direct control of his body."

"Let me do that," Maia protested.

"Why?"

"Without your influence, Jak might awaken, and you know what will happen if he should free the Sages once again,"

"You're right. We cannot afford to take any chances. It will not be long now. At the stroke of midnight, Jak will die, and when he does…"

"The resistance will die with him," Maia finished evilly.

* * *

"Lurkers have been spotted near the Fire Canyon," Lauren exclaimed. 

"Let's go," Kristen said as she and Lauren rushed to get some equipment to use against the Lurkers.

"I'll be there in a second," Keira called after them. As her two friends left, Keira turned around and looked imploringly at Jak.

"Come back soon Jak," she whispered, hoping he could somehow hear her. "We need you…"

"I'm trying Keira!" the young Channeler screamed desperately in his mind. As he battled viciously against the unseen foe keeping him in this suspended limbo, Jak finally began to win. A glorious light that was so close, and yet so far away, could now be seen penetrating the shadows that had up till now completely obscured his vision. As he tried to get close to it, Jak could finally see his body. He looked down at his legs and continued to push his limits past what they had ever been put through previously. A smile lit Jak's face up for the first time in a month as he could finally see Keira's body (a being of light), coming closer.

As Jak reached out with his hand, his heart soared: he felt certain that if he could lay a hand on her, he would be free of this abominable prison to which he had been confined. He retched in horror as a tentacle of what could only be described as solid darkness suddenly seized his wrist. Jak struggled urgently against the icy grip, but it was no avail; it held fast. Jak spun around to see if he could finally see who-or what- was keeping him from protecting those who needed protection. To his horror, but not completely as a surprise, Jak saw none other that Gol Akaron.

"You will never escape, you foolish maggot," the Dark Sage hissed as he tightened, if that was at all possible, on his wrist. Jak closed his eyes as the darkness overwhelmed him and Gol smirked triumphantly as he thought his prey had finally given up.

"Ah well, it was just a matter of time. Soon your mind will crack and then you will be mine. Hmm, how best to extract my revenge?" Gol mused as he circled the imprisoned Channeler.

"Should I kill you first? No. I think I'll take care of each and every one of your friends." Jak's eyes snapped open at that, his eyes filled with fear.

"Yes, I think I know who I'll use too. I think I'll use your body to do it. Let's see, that traitorous Lurker hybrid freak first, and then that annoying Amplifier. Then I think I'll make you strangle your little rat friend and then will come the girl. I think her name is Keira?" Gol inquired, his tone making one think that he was introducing himself rather than threatening to make someone kill his own friends. "Yes," Gol hissed. "I know just the way too. I think I'll make you peel off her skin and you can watch her bleed to death. And then maybe, just maybe, I'll kill you," Gol said, grinning insanely.

"You will NOT touch Keira!" a voice rumbled. Gol looked around for someone else before shaking himself mentally. He was inside Jak's very mind; no one else could enter without his knowledge.

"This isn't over Gol. I'll get loose, and then I'll make you wish you had never been born!" the voice roared again. Gol looked at his prisoner and realized with a jolt that Jak was no longer such a thing. Gol shuddered as he looked at Jak's eyes: never had he seen such a burning gaze. The blue that usually held such warmth and compassion had completely transformed into a hate filled cobalt.

Jak struggled against his bonds but they were as solid as ever. Gol laughed at the fool for trying to break his bond; nothing could free the boy unless Gol's mental presence vanished.

* * *

Let me start off by saying that I have absolutely no intention to kill off any canon characters okay. There WILL be deaths of minor/unimportant characters. And maybe Jak. Well, thank you for reading, and I do hope I haven't permanently damaged anyone's mind. If you have any ideas, comments, questions, send a review but I must war you all: flames will be used to heat my cold room. And thanks to everyone who has read my sad excuse for literature and given me their thoughts.

* * *

My Favorite Authors (They are listed alphabetically, not by preference.) 

1. Amathist Fwirrel

2. animedragongirl

3. Keeroshu

4. Light-Eco-Sage

5. Red Mage 04

6. Silver-WindScar

* * *

Quote of the week- Me 

Me: Rule #1 of Life- If there is anywhere important you have to get to on foot, you can be sure that it's uphill.


	33. The Gathering Darkness

Once again, in case there was something wrong with your e-mail and you did not receive the responses I put to the reviews you so kindly gave me, here they are below.

* * *

Silver-WindScar- Don't worry, I really don't have any intentions of killing Jak. I just felt like saying that to generate some suspense. Do me a favor though: tell me how to send myself in reviews, because I would do it all the time just for fun. Scaring people on Halloween, hehehe.  
Random Person: Oh, I wonder what people think of my story? (Opens review section)  
Me: (Making scary noises as I pop out).  
(Random Person faints and I call the hospital before hopping back through the screen, laughing insanely).  
And don't worry, I am sure you would be able to thoroughly kick my ass with absolutely no risk whatsoever on your part. Glad you were entertained (bows). Well, since the guy entering Jak's room had a small sword and was taking care not to be noticed, you can be sure he's not anyone good. Don't worry, when all is said and done (if you stick with me long enough, that is :P) you will be very glad at the pain and suffering that Gol has to go through before dying. Here, have a chapter and a gallon of "Ass-Glue," its on me.

Red Mage 04- Well, the real battles are taking place this chapter, and I do hope you enjoy them. Glad you like the struggle in Jak's head, but it won't result in him being shadowy, but it will have another side-affect. And Gol will also make Jak's life super miserable a bit later. I sent you an email with the picture as an attachment, so please let me know if you received it.

animedragongirl- Thank you very much for all of your reviews. I was pleased when I sqaw the first, and then three more came through and made me do a dance. Sorry about the poor structure in Struggles For the Future. I didn't realize that I was skipping around. I'll try not to do that so much this time around. Ack, grammar. Well, thanks for pointing out my numerous mistakes with the there/their/they're group. Don't worry about the height thing, because I actually came up with something that will hopefully please you. I won't give you details, but someone comments on your height and then they get a thrashing. Smart-ass joke-cracker, got it. I will make you that way. Good, me you and Andrew can drive everyone else insane now (insane evil laughter). Glad you liked Mark Twain, since I have a few more of his more colorful quotes coming up. Yup, good ol' Rule Number 1. I have so far come up with six, so you know what the quotes are going to be for the next month and a week. Thanks again for all the reviews and I hope this chapter pleases you.

CrazyOttsel- As I said with Silver-WindScar, don't worry, I have absolutely no intention of killing Jak. I just did that to generate a little suspense. I'm flattered by your compliments and I hope that this chapter is just as good, since I generate a little more suspense. Well, hope you like it.

Disclaimer- I do not own any of this, lawyers, please get this through your heads: I am getting sick and tired of saying it. Seriously. I'm in bed now in a half coma from saying it too many times. The only cure is to let me own the Jak and Daxter franchise.

* * *

The Gathering Darkness

Daxter continued to pace back and forth across the room, completely unaware that an unwelcome figure had slipped past the armies that were fighting. He turned around to get another glass of water for Jak and paused. He could have sworn he had seen the swish of a cloak vanish into the hallway. However, it had been so brief, so momentary, that he decided that he must have imagined it.

Daxter walked into the kitchen and filled a glass with water. He walked back to Jak's room, never noticing the figure that followed him on the ceiling, crawling after him like some weird type of spider. The long knife was drawn again, the obsidian blade gleaming eerily in the failing light.

Jak's small friend put the cup of water on Jak's bedside table and looked with pity at his friend. Suddenly, Daxter stiffened. He was sure he had heard a creak. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, attempting to convince himself that the creak had been nothing more than the house settling and his mind playing tricks on him in the dark. But even as he took in that breath, he knew without a doubt that something was seriously wrong. On the air was a foreign scent, one that he was not familiar with.

Outside, the Assassin went rigid. Suddenly the scent of fear hung heavily in the air. Briefly, he wondered of the rodent had somehow figured out that he was in the house, but that notion was quickly dismissed. In all his seventeen years of service, never once had he been detected: not until it was too late anyway. Most of his victims always let out a gasp of pain as he slit their throats, which was why he took care to cover their mouths. He took a step forward, balancing his weight so that he would not cause another creak to sound through the house: his first and biggest mistake.

As the Assassin looked in through the crack in the doorway, he knew something was wrong. Gol said that the rodent would never abandon the Channeler, and yet there he was. Jak lay there, oblivious to the fact that his killer was drawing ever closer towards him, bringing his dagger up and reversing the grip so that it was held like a knife. The Assassin looked around and seeing an open window, decided that Daxter (was that the creature's name?) had left to bring reinforcements- a foolish decision. By the time they got back, the deed would be done, and this blasted Adapting Channeler would be dead.

With deadly accuracy, the knife came down, its target Jak's heart…

And sank into the table beside the bed.

The Assassin cursed as Daxter landed on his head, digging his claws in the creature's scalp. Although he liked to think himself a kind and gentle creature by nature, Daxter scratched and bit the Lurker's head, fury driving him to inflict as much pain as he possibly could. Although the small formerly elfin animal knew that he had no chance of actually killing the Lurker, he hoped that he would be able to distract it long enough for Keira or someone else to come back and discover this intruder.

As the Assassin tried to rip the rat off his head, the he nicked himself in the arm with the sword that he was carrying. Although it was a minor wound, one that one could normally ignore, the creature's arm immediately went numb. He had coated his weapons with poison so that in the scenario that he was discovered, a killing blow did not have to be dealt in order to incapacitate any anonymities.

As the right arm went numb, the Assassin dropped his dagger and howled in pain as it sank right through his foot. He struggled to pull it out, but with his left arm occupied by Daxter, it was a feat that was proving to be immensely difficult. Finally, he tore his foot from the dagger, but since he had been unable to pull it out, the only way to do so was to slide his foot through the dagger effectively slicing his foot in half. As he howled with pain, Daxter leapt off its head and watched coldly as it died, the toxins on its dagger flowing through its blood and eating its skin from the inside out. Eventually the skin was so thin that the blood and organs spilled out over the floor. The acid continued to eat away at the remains of the corpse while Daxter leaned out the window and proceeded to empty everything that he had eaten that day out of his stomach. When he finally turned around, the blood and everything else had vanished- including the floor. Daxter shouted as he scurried over to Jak, the bed falling through the weakened floor.

As they landed, Daxter looked around and was pleased to discover that he was relatively unharmed. His blood turned ice-cold as he noticed a tunnel. As he realized that the Lurkers had been digging under the town in an attempt to bypass any security, Daxter heard the sounds of approaching creatures. Red eyes shined in the darkness as the creatures to which they belonged stepped out of the shadows, eliciting a scream from Daxter's throat…

* * *

The pain. Oh by the Precursors, the pain, Margaret thought through the haze of pain that swept through her body. Her head felt as though it had been used as a hammer. And that might as well be the case, she decided as she rubbed her skull. Suddenly she became aware of the scent of roasted flesh. She stood up and looked around, shaking from a combination of fear from having narrowly avoiding being eaten, and apprehension at the dead Lurker in front of her. She recognized Eco Lightning's work when she saw it, but who had fired it. And more importantly, whose side were they on. She looked closer at the corpse and saw small arcs of purple colored electricity traveling up and down the smoking carcass.

Margaret looked over at Benedict and saw him with his hand outstretched. His eyes were filled with anger, but it seemed to be directed at the Lurker that had tried to injure her. "Bro- brother?" Margaret whispered, wondering at him. Although she had had a shouting match with him, she had not seen his body, nor had she for a week. With the exception of his eyes, he looked as he had before this mess had started and pulled his soul to darkness. "Why did you save me?" she asked quietly, for the last time they had come face to face, they had battled and Margaret had dealt him a nearly fatal blow.

"Sister…" Benedict whispered, the yellow in his eyes beginning to recede. Margaret showed no external changes, but she was celebrating wildly inside. She knew how difficult it could be to bring oneself back from the darkness and she no wish to disturb him. She had nearly joined him that day in Wasteland Metropolis, when Gol had goaded her into nearly killing him ruthlessly and mercilessly. Her presence had once again sparked the goodness she knew was still within her brother, and the darkness within his heart was beginning to ebb. Benedict began to walk over to her slowly, his eyes now white and black. Margaret reached out to him with her hand open, ready to embrace her brother again now that he was returning to the light.

Suddenly, Benedict fell to the ground, clutching his head and screaming in agony. Margaret rushed over to him but stepped back as a shield of solid Dark Eco rose over him, preventing her from reaching her sibling. His screams grew louder and louder as the shield grew darker, until finally they both ceased to exist. Margaret looked at the prone form of her brother and felt her heart move up into her chest. Although she had loathed her brother for turning to Gol's side, and although she had blown a hole through his chest, she had never really wanted to kill him. Now, as she watched his still body, tears threatened to fall from her eyes as she closed them. As she turned away, unable to bear the sight of her brother any longer, a small movement caught her eye. Margaret turned and saw her brother's chest move. A wave of relief flooded her body, making her feel almost giddy: her brother was alive.

Margaret ran to him but stopped when she saw his face. His eyes were no longer yellow and black, nor were they white and dark brown. The parts that were supposed to be white were now a solid black, while the pupil had turned into a fiery red. Margaret looked into the eyes, looking for a small trace of her brother, but to no avail. All of a sudden, Margaret realized the truth: there was no look of recognition in his eyes, only hatred- hatred, and a desire to kill everything that moved. Without a word, he summoned a Dark Eco Blade and rushed in, screaming an incoherent battle cry as he swung his Eco Blade at her head.

Margaret ducked under the vicious strike and once again looked into her brother's eyes. There was a complete lack of rationality or recognition within his gaze, and so she came to the quick conclusion that whatever this… this _thing_ might be, it certainly was not her sibling. She knew that when he had fallen to the ground, screaming, he had been trying to fight whatever was intruding his mind. Briefly, she wondered if he had been under Gol and Maia's control this entire time, and if he had, how was she to break their tyrannical grip on him?

As a piece of her hair was separated from the rest of her head, Margaret stopped thinking and began to concentrate on the battle at hand. As she ducked under another strike, Margaret saw what her brother was trying to do and rolled forward underneath him. As she rolled, Margaret threw her fist up and hit Torqueo in a very tender part of his body. As he fell to the ground, she quickly sprang up and tried to think of a way to incapacitate him without killing him. Figuring that knocking him out and tying him up would be sufficient, Margaret walked up to the quivering body and Channeled some Red Eco into her body, intending to strike him on the back of the head. As she neared him, the body glowed purple and a shield of Dark Eco formed, preventing her from getting any closer to the body.

Torqueo rose and began swinging with reckless abandon, not really caring what he hit as long as it was something alive. Margaret backpedaled furiously, leading her opponent to think that he was winning before hitting him in the chest with a blast of Yellow Eco. Torqueo went flying back, his hands opening and releasing the Eco Blades that he had been wielding. As Torqueo skid along the floor and did a reverse somersault to land on his feet, Margaret ran in and began Channeling Red Eco. As she came closer, Torqueo threw a wild punch at her face. She caught it and blocked to the inside, allowing her to score a few hits on Torqueo's ribs. Torqueo spun around and elbowed his sister right in the face. The two of them charged up their hands with Eco, Benedict using Dark, and Margaret using Yellow Eco. They threw one punch each and caught the other's hand with their free hand. They began to try to out muscle each other, but seemed perfectly equal in power. Streams of Eco danced around the place, slaying any elves or Lurkers that were unfortunate to be caught in the deadly stream.

Eventually, Margaret's slender frame and Torqueo's bulk began to assert themselves. Torqueo leered at his sister as he pushed her to the ground, his fingers tightening to maximize the pain that she felt while he had her in his grip. As he pressed more of his weight down on her, Torqueo grinned at the prospect of killing this defiant wetch and feeding her to his fellow Lurkers. So focused was he on his victory that he didn't realize until it was too late what his sister was up to. Margaret curved her spine as she dropped onto her back, rolling along the floor. As her brother went above her body, she kicked out, using both her natural strength plus the momentum she had gathered as forces to slam him into a side of the mountain. Torqueo looked up and saw Margaret coming in to fight him. He threw a Dark Grenade at her.

Margaret jumped over the first one, and rolled underneath the second one. She got to her feet and the two Channelers circled each other in their fighting stances and tried to find a weakness in the others defense. Torqueo lost patience and lunged forward, trying to beat his sister with brute force. Margaret had summoned Blue Eco and was using it to block his attacks before they got so much momentum that they would hurt her. As they fought, the two of them circled each other until Torqueo was driving her backwards into a cave. Although she was concentrating on the battle at hand, Margaret realized that she needed to reverse this, as being in the dark with such a deadly adversary would probably not prove to be very conducive to her health.

Margaret finally saw an opening and kicked Torqueo right in the chest. As she jumped over his stunned form, Margaret realized she had made a critical error. As Torqueo's hand closed ever her ankle and he threw her forward, Margaret realized that after the original attack, she had done nothing to stun her opponent further.

"I should have hit him harder," was Margaret's last thought before her head hit the wall and her world went dark…

* * *

Gravis stayed calm and collected as he moved his Eco Blades around to intercept the Eco Sabers that Hatu was swinging at him. As his blood started pumping and he got into the fight, Gravis looked around and saw Benedict on the ground, clutching his head and screaming.

"Good. The seed is almost fully mature," he thought. He reveled in the thought that Benedict would die without ever knowing why he had chosen the path that he had. To think that it was his true decision was a laughable concept.

Gravis paid for letting his mind wander when Hatu leaned back and kicked him in the mouth. Blood gurgled up and Gravis spat a mouthful out, causing Hatu to stumble back as some of the crimson liquid splashed onto his face. Gravis took advantage of the Lurker's distraction and cut right through the hilts of one of his Eco Sabers, leaving him with the blue one. Hatu leapt back so that the two were about four feet away. Gravis looked at his opponent and saw a small trickle of blood going down Hatu's right eyebrow. As it got closer and closer, Gravis prepared to leap forward when it entered the eye and Hatu would close it. As the blood touched the eyelash, it happened. Hatu squinted for a second before closing his eye shut. Gravis launched forward, his Eco Blade hissing in the otherwise silent approach he was making toward his enemy. So focused was Gravis on making the killing blow that he didn't see Hatu open his eye, the blood still not in it.

Gravis lifted his Blade up and Hatu delivered a powerful sidekick right into the ribs. His enhanced strength was such that he was able to send Gravis through a tree. He leapt onto the splintered trunk and looked down at Gravis. The Lurker got to his feet and bared his teeth at Hatu, who merely turned his Eco Saber back on and held it in his right hand away from his body to the back, a mocking posture. Gravis roared in fury and indignation as he summoned an Eco Blade, leapt at Hatu, and began the duel.

Gravis landed as he aimed a blow for the head and Hatu blocked it effortlessly. He had noticed a definite increase in his swordsmanship lately, no doubt due to the after effects of the Synthesis. Gravis didn't really care that Hatu blocked the blow, since he was going to use his momentum to continue to strike until the time came when Hatu made a mistake and Gravis would kill him. Hatu backpedaled, never letting Gravis get the upper hand, preferring to lure his unsuspecting opponent into a false sense of security. He parried and deflected the incoming blows, keeping a close eye on his surroundings all the while. As he backed up, Hatu noticed a boulder behind him that he would have to leap over, a move that would leave him exposed for enough time to be sheared in half. As Gravis' next strike came in, Hatu caught it with his Saber and twisted as he swatted it aside, moving his entire body along so that he could get away from the boulder. As he moved clockwise around his enemy, Hatu brought his Saber up in an attempt to cut Gravis' legs off- a move that was intercepted and swatted away. As he parried the incoming attack, Gravis spun his Blade further than he should have; leaving both his opponent and himself wide open for a split second. Fortunately for himself, he recovered first and delivered a hard front kick to Hatu's chest. Hatu went flying back and did a back flip as he landed, spreading his legs to absorb the impact.

Gravis rushed in again, hoping to use his new aggressive style of fighting to overwhelm his opponent with powerful, brute force blows. He swung his Blade in a wide arc from the right and barely allowed Hatu to block it before reversing hi momentum and spinning around. Such was the force behind his attack that he nearly made Hatu cut himself with his own Saber. He continued to press the assault, giving Hatu absolutely zero reaction time when it came to blocking attack after attack. Hatu made sure that he appeared to be struggling, for while he was not wearing himself out, he still was not fast enough to block and counter. So instead he allowed his body to relax, taking his time when it came to blocking the techniques, knowing that it was only a matter of time before Gravis made a mistake.

As Hatu blocked a vertical strike coming down, Gravis flipped his Blade around and brought it up from underneath, causing Hatu's Saber to go to the side. As he swung for the killing blow, Hatu stepped back and resumed his defensive stance. Gravis and Hatu swung at the same time, and when their swords impacted each other, Gravis grabbed Hatu and pulled him forward. Hatu went with the motion and reversed the grip, twisting Gravis' arm so that he bent forward. Gravis instinctively brought his Blade up behind his back, blocking the blow that he knew was coming. Knowing that it wouldn't serve him any use, Hatu let go and the two Lurkers circled each other, waiting for the other to attack. Or at least, Hatu did, while Gravis tried to find an opening that he could exploit. To his dismay, he could not find one: Hatu seemed to have perfected his defensive posture, leaving no part of his body unprotected.

Gravis charged in and Hatu noticed that he brought his hand just a little too far out. He kicked the hand that held the Blade and it opened, dispersing the energy harmlessly into the air. He brought his hand down for a killing strike and Gravis caught his sword arm while grabbing him around the throat. Hatu gasped in surprise as Gravis tightened his grip, cutting off air to his lungs. He leaned back as Gravis put his weight forward, smiling grimly as he lowered Hatu's Saber to the wielder's throat, hoping that this would become the end of this conflict. Hatu gathered up his fleeing strength and kicked Gravis in the leg. The spot he hit was a bundle of nerves causing the leg to give out and letting Hatu push the bigger Lurker off of him. As he gasped for breath Gravis got up and ran at him, kicking him in the ribs. Both hit the ground and Hatu got up first. As Gravis charged again, Hatu sidestepped and hit him in the ribs with a round kick, forcing the Lurker back on the ground. He turned his Eco Saber back on- when it had shut off he had no idea- and brought it crashing down. Gravis quickly summoned a Dark Eco Saber and blocked the deadly attack.

Gravis rolled to the side and got to his feet, bringing his Blade up in an attack before attempting to drive Hatu back once more. Hatu, however, had grown tired of his defensive posture and now stood his ground. The two of them attacked and defended as they stood perfectly still, an agreement between them that they would not try to press against each other in case it backfired on them. The attacked without moving for well over half an hour before the two of them pressed against each other at the same time, worried that such a long fight would result in their fatigue, forgetting that their opponent had a limited supply of energy as well. They both leaned in before leaping back. Gravis, staying true to his new fighting style, immediately rushed back in and attacked again. Hatu swiped the attack away and leaned back, allowing his front kick the extra distance it needed to hit Gravis in the stomach. He quickly backed off, spinning his Saber unconsciously in his hands.

Gravis noticed the movement and whistled to himself: that move, that little twirl, had always been Wartstal's personal movement. "So that's why he's suddenly such a good defensive fighter; Wartstal must have transferred his sword talents to the runt," Gravis thought as he came in again. As he once again pushed Hatu back, the Lurker on the defensive leapt back and landed on the wall of the canyon. He pushed off and landed in the opposite direction, knowing that if he had continued going back, he would have literally been caught between a rock and a hard place. Gravis watched him land and kicked Hatu right in the face. Hatu went stumbling back, blocking as he wiped the tears that had reflexively formed out of his eyes.

Hatu looked at Gravis as his eyes cleared and saw a blow coming in at an angle that his Saber would not reach in time. Remembering what Gravis had done to him earlier, Hatu reached out and grabbed Gravis' wrist before coming in with his own attack. Gravis caught Hatu's hand and for a few seconds the two wrestled with each other, wanting to push the other down but not daring lest they accidentally impale themselves. Hatu felt Gravis begin to push him back and brought his head back. He slammed it forward and his skull smashed against Gravis' nose. He then let go of the larger Lurker and decided against going in for an attack: Gravis' eyes were still open, and he would not be able to fool the more experienced Lurker into making a mistake.

The tow once again went back and forth without gaining or losing ground, each desperate to bring this skirmish to an end. Hatu leapt back from a blow and landed on a small hill. He looked down at Gravis, thinking that such an intelligent Lurker would never dream of doing something so stupid as to actually try to jump over him. But that was exactly what Gravis attempted to do. Hatu waited for an opening and saw a way to hack his opponent's remaining arms off. He swung his Saber for the appendages…

Only to find that Gravis had twisted around the attack, losing some hair, but otherwise coming off unscathed. Hatu, however, was not as fortunate. His attack had left him wide open, and as Gravis landed facing opposite Hatu, he spun his Blade so that he thrust it right through Hatu's stomach. Hearing his opponent's scream of pain, Gravis smirked and turned around. Hatu had collapsed and rolled down the hill, a gaping hole in his stomach spewing blood and guts all over the grass.

Hatu looked up at his enemy and tried to move, but his strength had left him. "I'm sorry everyone," he thought as he struggled to keep alive. "I guess I just wasn't good enough." Then, Hatu passed out, and he knew no more…

* * *

Keira stepped back as the miniature Behemoth swung his Saber ferociously at her head, trying to separate it from the rest of her body. She desperately tried to recall everything that Hatu had taught her about defensive fighting. His philosophy was to let the opponent wear himself or herself out with the powerful blows, jumping around and roaring. This goal was to expose as little body areas open as possible, making a well-trained practitioner nearly invincible. She had watched him use his style in combat against Lurkers that came at him with Eco Sabers and was just how beautiful and graceful the form could be. Even though he always won, Keira thought it odd that he had never thought to pick up the Sabers that his enemies dropped, since they could be used on the good side. According to Hatu, if Keira wished to follow his style and use it as effectively as he did, then she was to keep in mind that the aim was to comfortably remain on the defensive until her opponent made a mistake; only then would she strike offensively.

"A hell of a lot easier said then done," Keira thought almost sarcastically to herself as the Behemoth attacked without pause. Between the blocking and parrying, Keira was unable to get a glance at his stance, let alone study it long enough to discover a weakness that she could exploit. Another thing that was counting against her was the fact that although it's size had been greatly reduced, the Behemoth had lost none of its legendary strength, and Keira could never block an attack outright. As she felt the force behind the blows that the Lurker was raining down upon her, she knew that by blocking them fully she would succeed in nothing but getting struck with her own Saber as well as her foe's.

Again and again Keira tried to attack, only to lose ground and be driven back. As she backed away from her opponent and they circled each other, Keira knew that it was useless: this Lurker was trained in ways that negated any strengths in swordsmanship that she might possess. Another tactic would be needed if she intended on coming out of this fight victorious- or alive, for that matter.

Suddenly Keira's vision was filled with sights of Jak. She suddenly knew all of the techniques that Sett had shown him while he trained in Wasteland Metropolis. She couldn't explain it, but she suddenly knew the ways of the Makashi style.

The Behemoth frowned: Keira had switched her stance and seemed oddly relaxed. He swung for her head but she blocked and with a small flick of the wrist, parried his attack and hit him on the side of the leg. He stepped back, shocked that she had managed to hit him. Being a Behemoth, the Saber had not gone through him, but rather caused a small scratch to appear on his skin. So small was the wound that it did not even bleed, but the mere fact that she had suddenly hit him unnerved the Behemoth. Keira took advantage of the Behemoth's temporary distraction and struck again, cutting his shoulder. The Behemoth snapped back to attention and defended against her attacks while attacking her at the same time. Although he was baffled as to how she was doing it, the female elf that he had been sent to kill was somehow intercepting his attacks and turning forcing him into positions that were advantageous for her. Suddenly, the tide of the battle had turned, and instead of him being the one that was driving her back, Keira was now inflicting minor scratches that did little more than irritate him with increasing frequency.

Keira could not explain the sudden calmness she was feeling, but she felt a presence that had been denied to her for nearly a month: Jak's. Somehow, she didn't know how but somehow, he was with her, providing her with strength and support. Quickly, Keira defended herself against the incoming attacks, inflicting nicks and pinpricks whenever she could. Not to say that she was purely on the winning side. A few of the Behemoth's attacks did penetrate her defenses, but fortunately she was able to get her defenses back up before his Saber did more than burn a hole in her clothes.

After half an hour, the two of them were still at it. Keira took a second to bring one of her overall straps around to the opposite shoulder to keep it from falling off. As the Behemoth lunged, clearly hoping to take advantage of this distraction, Keira rolled to the side and inflicted a wound across one of his eyes. As the Behemoth roared in pain and fell to his knees, clutching his eye, Keira approached from behind and prepared to decapitate the fallen Lurker. Suddenly, the Behemoth spun around and grabbed her around the neck. Keira was so shocked at this that she dropped her Eco Saber. The Behemoth hurled her fifteen feet away, where she rolled into a landing and grabbed the gauntlets that she had built a month and a half ago off of her back. She slipped them on and prepared for the fight of her life as the Behemoth approached, swing both Eco Sabers around his body…

* * *

Bryan and Lauren circled on the spot, the former armed with a beautifully carved katana that had been given to him by his father, while the latter had three arrows in her bow. One looked normal, but the ones on the top and bottom had a blue and yellow tip, respectively. The ongoing battle around them did not concern them- they had more pressing matters on hand.

Bryan, son of a farmer, was used to working with earth. Because of this, he could feel tremors in the ground that most people would not be able to perceive. He had his eyes closed now, trying to pick up any indication as to where the Burrower might be. He winced as he straightened his spine, the wounds that he had received from the razor sharp teeth of the Burrower now bleeding profusely. Lauren noticed this and took a small vial of Green Eco off her belt. She had raided Samos' stores, never telling Keira that she had been inside the Sage's house. Knowing the dangers that they faced, Lauren would have considered it nothing short of suicide to go out for such a battle unprepared for the likely possibility that someone would sustain serious wounds.

As Lauren pored some Green Eco onto a piece of cloth she had torn off her shirt, Bryan suddenly pushed her out of the way. She stumbled backwards and fell on the ground. She grumbled as she felt herself impact rock: she hadn't even the fortune to land on grass. As Lauren opened her eyes to yell at her boyfriend for shoving her, she paled. Bryan had shoved her out of the way of the Burrower, and that single distraction had proved to be his undoing. Snake-like tentacles had come out of the sides, and they were wrapped so tightly around Bryan that he couldn't even move his sword. She could tell that it was slowly suffocating the poor guy, if the fact that his face was turning a deep purple was any indication. She shook her head and picked up her arrows. Fortunately, the Burrower was so focused on choking the elf it had in its grips that it didn't notice the Blue Eco Arrow speeding at it until it had ripped its way through one of its "arms."

Lauren begrudgingly gave the Burrower some credit; though it _did_ shriek in pain, it did not lose focus on its task. Instead, it merely swatted Lauren away by growing another set of arms and hitting her across the stomach. She got back to her feet and fired another arrow at the beast, this one infused with Yellow Eco. The Burrower saw the attack coming and tried to dodge out of the way. Unfortunately, for both the Burrower and its victim, one thin tentacle hit the arrows, which caused the aforementioned projectile to explode. Half of the Burrowers body was blown apart, leaving its pulsating heart and lungs, among other organs, exposed for all to see. Lauren fought the powerful urge to vomit and ran over to Bryan to see how he was doing. To her immense relief, he was not too badly damaged, though he would have some burn marks to show for this battle. Other than the slightly scorched skin, he didn't look too bad, Lauren reflected.

So focused was she on tending to her boyfriend's needs that she did not notice small tentacles begin to surround the internal organs of the Burrower. As it repaired itself and roared in fury, Lauren looked around for something to use, seeing as she only had a normal arrow remaining and she doubted it would do her any good. She spotted Bryan's katana and tried to grab it. As she reached for it, a tentacle wrapped itself around her wrist and picked her up. She turned around to see that the Burrower had once again captured Bryan, though this time she was with him.

As the foul beast literally squeezed the life out of the two elves, a command from its master surfaced in its mind. These two particular elves were not to be killed. Instead, Gol had instructed the beast to bring them to his Citadel, commanding the Burrower to bring them alive. On the upside, he had said that if the two of them were to struggle at all, the Lurker should not hesitate to inflict a certain degree of pain on them. The Burrower continued to squeeze until both elves passed out, and then it began to take them to its master for whatever insidious plans he had in store for them...

* * *

Mike charged the Warrior heads on, hoping to catch it off guard. As it swung its sword down to meet him, Mike dodged to the right, only to have a fist bigger than his torso impact his head. He staggered, or perhaps flew would be the more appropriate word, backwards and landed on the ground, an eerie greenish glow surrounding his body. Kristen made a move towards him before he got up, rubbing his face. The Warrior seemed stunned: that single hit should have shattered the elf's skull, or at the very least knocked him out. The beast then shrugged; if the elf didn't want to die, then the Warrior would be only too happy to force him to. As it charged Mike, Kristen timed her shot and let a Yellow Eco Arrow. As it impacted the armor of the Warrior and exploded, Kristen punched straight up in a victory gesture. When the dust from the explosion cleared, she was horrified to see that her enemy was relatively unscathed.

The Warrior decided that the elf that was capable of using Eco based attacks was more of a threat and decided that killing it would be the most practical course of action. Such action was usually not given to the lesser Lurkers, but the Warriors had evolved enough to gain a small sense of rationality. Unfortunately, they had yet to discover that if one had two targets and ignored one for the sake of killing the other, the one being ignored had a painful way of making its presence known.

Such was the case when Mike leapt onto the Warriors back. As he struggled to remain on the now enraged Lurker, he wrapped his arms around its neck. The fingertips touched and when Mike was hurled off, one of his hands touched the back of the Warrior. Mike's arm was nearly wrenched out of its socket as his body was halted in mid-air, the adhesive properties of the gloves surfacing. Mike stuck his other hand onto the back and found that the gloves' new function made staying on a snap. He took his left arm off the back to punch and nearly let go of the Warrior when he saw a small saw pop out from above the wrist. He watched it begin to move around, spinning in a fashion that reminded him of that high-tech thing his father had wanted. He strained his memory and tried to remember what it was called, a "buzz saw?" Yes, that was what the merchant had called it.

Normally he would never have done such a thing, but since the blade was made out of Precursor metal, Mike assumed it would be able to stand up to what he was about to do. He slashed across his body on the back of the Warrior and smirked with satisfaction as the blade sunk through the bone armor and rock-like flesh as easily as a knife goes through soft butter. Black blood spurted out of the gash he had made and the Warrior began flailing around in pain, one of its arms now limp. Mike figured he had severed a small portion of the spine with that attack, and was pleased at the thought that even if he died, the other Lurkers would surely kill this Warrior, for to have a disfigurement in their society was a death mark. He leapt off and was immediately hit by the flat side of the Warriors sword, which the owner of which had begun swinging it wildly.

Mike limped over to Kristen, moving gingerly so he wouldn't hurt his broken ribs. He slumped over when he reached his girlfriend, the strength that his determination to get over to Kristen fading now that he had achieved his objective. As she bent down, the two elves embraced. After what seemed like an eternity, Mike opened his eyes… and his blood froze at what he saw. The Warrior had risen and was now slowly making its way over to them. Kristen looked over at Mike and saw his petrified gaze and followed it. She too froze with fear as she saw their foe make its way over to them, its sword raised, blood dripping down the blade. The two elves wearily got to their feet, determined to take this foe down. The Warrior roared as it smelled their fear vanish and broke out into a run, raising its sword as it loomed over the two practically helpless elves…

* * *

Maia opened her eyes and smiled at Gol, who was still concentrating on keeping Jak contained within his own mind.

"It is finished. Benedict is no more," she said, grinning. Gol could not answer vocally, since his mind was occupying Jak's body, but he could hear her nonetheless.

"Excellent. That seed idea was a marvelous brain wave of yours Maia. It is just too bad that Jak is not good enough. He could amount to much."

"It is just as well. Even if we could tempt him with thoughts of the girl, he has nothing but pure thoughts. It is a shame though, that so much potential is wasted in such a weak form."

"Yes. Well, the Assassin should be here any second and, AARGH!" A mental scream sound within Maia's head.

"Brother! What is going on? Are you all right?" There was no response. "Hmm, he must be preoccupied with something. I won't distract him," Maia thought, but unease still filled a small part of her mind. What could be so urgent, or so powerful, that it could disrupt even her brother's concentration?

* * *

Jak went limp, tired of struggling against Dark Eco that bound him. Gol noticed this and a grin worked its way up his face. "Tired are you? Well, I would hate for you to be bored. Let's see, what can I do to liven this up for you?" He said, circling Jak, pretending to think.

"Actually, I'm quite bored as well. I wonder if I could find something in here to amuse me…" he mused as his extended his fingers. Streams of Dark Eco ripped into Jak's head and Gol disappeared into his memories and fantasies.

Gol landed on a beach, which he instantly recognized as the one that lied outside Samos' village. He snapped his fingers and Jak appeared, still bound. "Come, let's take a stroll down your fantasies," he said, a sick smile covering his face. Jak looked around and noticed how the sun was setting and the sea was calm. He gulped, knowing exactly where he was.

"I had a great time to day Jak," a female voice sounded. Gol raised an eyebrow at Jak, whose face began to resemble a glob of Red Eco.

"Lets see what's going on, shall we?" he said as he walked towards the sound.

There he was. Jak looked at himself and Keira, leaning against each other as they stood on a small hill and watched the sun set. Keira turned to go, but right before she took a step, she looked back at Jak. Jak watched as Keira approached his other form. As the imaginary Jak leaned down, Keira wrapped her arms around his neck. Jak watched himself smile warmly as he leaned down and kissed Keira. Gol turned around and sneered at Jak for his childish fantasies. As the two figments of Jak's imagination continued in their kiss, Gol snapped his fingers and another scene unfolded before their eyes. This one was similar to the first, with Jak and Keira being alone, just enjoying each other's company. A couple showed Daxter being turned back to normal and moving in with Keira and him. As scene after scene played, Gol watched every little idea that had ever entered Jak's mind.

Gol watched more of the scenes, commenting and making snide remarks to Jak, who felt his anger boiling. These thoughts were his; Gol had no right to see them. Then they arrived at one that finally sent Jak over the edge. It was the first one, but this time, Gol had tweaked one small detail. Instead of Jak and Keira happy together, Gol made it Benedict struggling with Keira. Benedict had Keira backed up against a wall and held both her of her wrists against the stone roughly. He crushed her body against his and lowered his mouth violently onto hers. As he finally forced himself on her, she protested vehemently. To Jak's horror, Keira's struggles eventually waned before she gave in. When they were finished, Keira stood transformed into a yellow and black-eyed demoness. This was the straw that finally broke the camel's back. With a roar, Jak ripped himself free of his bindings and tackled Gol. Instantly the scene vanished, to return them to the black place where Gol had held Jak before. Jak's hands went right for Gol's throat, who blasted him away with a beam of Dark Eco. Jak got to his feet, his body glowing yellow. As he fired a blast of Yellow Eco, Jak realized that while in his mind, he could Channel Eco as he wished. He flared his aura out until it matched Gol's and the two of them leapt at each other…

* * *

A mysterious figure climbed to the peak of the Fire Canyon. He looked down at the ongoing battle, apparently unconcerned about the massive amounts of blood being shed. If one was to get a look at the small part of his face that was not obscured by shadows, one would be able to see a lone tear make its way down his cheek. As he saw the Burrower wrap its tentacles around the two youths, his face hardened and where a man had stood a second before, there now stood a warrior. With practiced ease, the man crouched down, gathering some energy before he leapt fifteen feet in the air and came down at the bottom of the canyon without any sign of difficulty. Appearing as nothing more than a blur, he ran behind a rock, careful to stay in the shadows. His cape made a flapping sound in the wind, something he was not very concerned about. After all, in this fracas, who did he have to worry about spotting him? He stealthily made his way over to where Lauren and Bryan were struggling to stay alive, mentally cursing when he saw the Burrower begin to dig into the ground.

"Damn, they're getting away…" he said in a deep voice filled with pain and betrayal. Without a second thought, the figure dressed in black leapt into the hole, searching for the two teenagers that were so crucial…

* * *

Okay, cliffhangers galore! Well, next chapter, a lot of things will go down, but I think everyone will be able to figure out the main event by the name of Chapter Thirty-Four. Please, feel free to leave me your opinion, whether it be criticism, and idea, or even a flame.

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My Favorite Authors (They are listed alphabetically, not by preference.)

1. Amathist Fwirrel

2. animedragongirl

3. Keeroshu

4. Light-Eco-Sage

5. Red Mage 04

6. Silver-WindScar

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Quote of the week- Me

Me: Rule #2 of Life- Whenever you are raking leaves or shoveling snow, the wind will never blow in the direction that you want it to.


	34. Jak is Back

As usual, here are the responses to the reviews you all so kindly gave me, in case there was an emailing error and you did not receive them.

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Red Mage 04- Yup, many big cliffhangers. The quote of the week, it is true, no? Hopefully, I'll be able to keep you entertained for a while, because remember, Jak (if he wakes up) and co. have to fight through Rock Village, Mountain Pass, Volcanic Crater, Spider Caves, Desert Colossus, Wasteland Metropolis, Gale Canyon, _and_ The City of the Sky. And that's if they travel in a straight line. So the big, ultra showdown won't be for a while. Loved your chapter by the way, and I can't wait until next Friday. 

Silver-WindScar- You're welcome for the reply and thank you for reviewing in the first place. "Ass Glue," is recently discovered adhesive that will bind the ass to whatever the glue is applied to. The ass will not come off by use of strength, humor, or any other type of force. I would love to be able to do the Vin thing. I could update so quickly. Yes, yes, y-e-s. Okay, Got that out of my system. Yea, my computer did the same thing last night when I was trying to upload Chapter 14 of On My Own Two Wings. Hm, a JET-BOARD, hm. Well, all I can think of is having the bottom be a super powerful fan that is capable of lifting the board and you a sufficient distance off the ground so that minor bumps and ditches along the path would not affect you. And I respect your wish to say, "Silver, over and out," because I have always wanted to just stop in my school hallway and just shout out, "Zang zi damn!" For no reason whatsoever. Yea, I'll shut up before I scare you off. Enjoy this chapter. Well, since Jak is inside his own head, it is literally a realm where his mental powers rival Gol's. And since his mind is partly made up of imagination, Jak can imagine certain things happening and they will happen. And yea, Gol needs to stay the hell out of other people's minds. Ah, you were the first to ask this question, and I do believe I found a suitable answer for it. Jak is unable to Channel Light Eco within his mind for a very simple reason: he doesn't know it exists. Light Eco shows up at the very end, and Jak and everyone except for one person is shocked by its appearance, because it is just a legend.

GoodMorningBeautiful2005- I'm glad you find my work worthy of your attention. Wow, a favorite, thank you very much. Hm, I wonder if there is something wrong with It seems to be upsetting some people lately. I will try my utmost to live up to your expectations for the remainder of this work. I promise, I will update this story as soon as humanly (or where Jak is concerned, elfinly) possible. I'm glad I caught your interest, although if you want to read some _really_ good pieces of fanfiction, then you should check out my favorites list, particularly the ones at the bottom.

CrazyOttsel- I don't mind misspelled words. It takes me about an hour to spell check my work because I type erratically without looking at the screen, so if I hit a wrong key then I can't tell. Thanks, I hoped I had gotten the suspense right, and how could I kill Jak? He's… Jak. I will continue to write as long as I'm alive, don't worry. Well, you asked for more and you shall receive.

animedragongirl- Sorry about the repetitiveness. I will try to be more aware of what I write so that I don't embarrass myself again. Thanks once again for the weekly grammar lesson. I should be paying you, since you've taught me more about writing than thirteen years of schooling. You might not know firsthand, but trust me, this quote always rings true, and this week's more so. I think it will flatter you actually, since we once discussed something similar to this back during the Green Eco Temple Era (winces at how badly I wrote that chapter). And I feel sorry for you: no snow. When I get that weather machine working, I'll send you snow, and then melt it so that you don't have to shovel it. And then I'll give you rain during gym. And anything else. But I'll charge you one chapter of The Jak and Daxter Prank War (continue that please!) for every use (grins maniacally).

Disclaimer- Well, I'm typing to you all from the hospital. I have been diagnosed with "Jak-and-Daxter-need-to-own-it-isisosis." The doctors said that if the lawyers gave me Jak and Daxter I would be cured, so now they're running tests on me. Oh, yea, I do not own Jak and Daxter, (has a minor heart attack).

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Jak is Back 

Daxter screamed as a gigantic spider lowered itself from the ceiling. Its long silky thread trailing ominously behind it, the entire creature gave off an air of foulness. And yet, along with that unpleasantness came a sense of power and age, as though this thing had been living under the house for ages. The very thought gave Daxter chills that ran up and down his rather spine; that he had slept a mere foot or two above this creature. It hit the ground with a soft splat and unfurled its many legs. As the spider reopened its eyes, they looked around for the intruder that had invaded its lair. Daxter opened his mouth to scream and immediately the spider turned and looked exactly where he was standing. Daxter held his breath and took a closer look at the gigantic creature. As he studied its face and got past the foot long fangs that were dripping saliva, he noticed that while they were big, and could move in every direction, the spider's eyes were white. The meaning of that hit Daxter harder than a rampaging Yakow: the spider, fearsome though it looked, was blind.

The irony and relief of it all made Daxter want to laugh, but he knew he couldn't. Any sound on his part might alert the beast to their presence, and while he was sure that what had been the roof of its home caving in on it might disorientate it for a while, he knew that it was only a matter of time before it would smell them. And once the spider got their scent, it would slowly but surely find them. And after that… Daxter didn't even want to think about.

"Okay Daxter, stay calm. How in the name of the Precursors do I get myself the Legatee out of this mess?" He thought frantically as the spider began to sift through some wood and nails, looking for the acrid smell that filled the room. As Daxter sniffed the air, he noticed that the foul scent of the poison on that knife the Assassin was using would cover his and Jak's scent up so that they would not be recognizable. At this, Daxter really did laugh out loud. He instantly clapped his hands over his mouth, but it was too late. The deed was done. The spider reared it's full height and Daxter suddenly noticed just how far they had fallen. Although the spider was about twelve feet tall, it filled the cavern quite comfortably, with some room to spare. Daxter tried to stifle a gulp, but it came out anyway. He was weaponless against a twelve foot spider that was now determined to find whatever was in its home and eat it. And on top of that, Jak might die soon, if not from the enigmatic coma or the spider than from possible internal injuries. Fifteen feet was no small amount of distance when one hit's the ground and the bed falls on you.

Daxter was seized by a sudden impulse and went under the bed to check up on Jak. To his relief, there were no noticeable bruises on his body, though due to the somewhat dim light Daxter found it impossible to determine that for certain. As the spider hot closer to the duo, Daxter decided that if he ever wanted to continue to be able to live with himself then he would have to find a way to hold off the spider until someone could find them and help them out of this predicament. He crawled away from Jak's body, hating himself every moment of it, feeling as though he was deserting his best friend when he needed him the most. As he kept crawling, Daxter found it got easier to simply move past the spider and sift through the debris silently for the knife that the Lurker Assassin had tried to use to kill Jak.

Daxter found the knife and tried to hold it up. The problem was that to the Assassin the weapon was merely a dagger, but in reality the knife was about the size of his body and weighed twice as much as he did. As he balanced the blunt side on his back and forced his way back to the spider. As he slowly walked back to the giant creature that was searching through the remains of the bed for the scent of meat, Daxter took great care not to nick himself even slightly with the weapon: visions and memories of what had happened to the Lurker Assassin when he had gotten careless would remain forever in Daxter's head. As he neared the spider, Daxter was so confident that all he would have to do would be to nick the creature that he didn't realize that the spider had become aware of his presence. His feet, small and furry though they were, made a soft pat with every step he took. In addition, the dagger he was carrying through dirt made a slight scraping sound. Most animals would not be able to pick up these sounds, but Daxter and the spider were not most animals. And because Daxter himself was making the noise, he dismissed the noises subconsciously. The spider, on the other hand, was now well aware that there was a small thing moving toward her, and she was prepared.

Daxter heaved back before swinging the dagger with all his might at the spider's leg. He was dumbfounded when the leg simply vanished. He looked up and saw the spider looking down at him. He realized the jig was up at once and hurled the blade with all his might at the monstrosity. The spider heard as the knife cut through the air and moved out of the way. As he went soaring through the air, thanks to a leg bigger than his entire body hitting him in the chest, Daxter cursed at himself for letting the spider onto his plan before he could put it into action. He landed on all fours and took off as fast as he could. Although the spider had the advantage of size, Daxter was gifted with both sight and an elf's intelligence, which meant he could think up plans rather than living off pure instincts like his foe.

Daxter evaded the legs that were stomping on the ground in an insane attempt to turn him into a two-dimensional object. As he darted about, Daxter asked himself for the third time what he was hoping to accomplish. Even if he could somehow get to the dagger before being flattened, and somehow managed to find it in all the rubbish, what good would it do in the long run? The thing was way too heavy to wield effectively, and even if he somehow made a swing, it would be slow, clumsy, and awkward: all too easy to dodge. Despite his uncertainty, Daxter continued, knowing he would not be able to live with himself if he survived this conflict by running away and hiding.

Daxter found the hilt of the weapon he had thrown and noticed that the blade had for some reason split in two. Why this had happened he had no idea, and he really didn't care. With the length and weight of the dagger halved, Daxter was able to wield the weapon like an unbalanced falchion. The spider rushed at Daxter, the small creature's erratic and excited breathing giving his location as well away as if the spider could see and Daxter had been standing under a light-up sign. As a leg smashed into the ground, Daxter rolled to the side and swung as hard as he could. The spider let out a shriek as the tiny sword cut right through its foot and nicked a second. Although he had managed to hurt the creature Daxter's heart fell when he realized that the spider seemed to be immune to whatever strange poison that the Lurker Assassin had attempted to use on Jak. Daxter became even more down heartened when he saw that the wounds that he had inflicted were healing. The blood had stopped flowing because of the skin that grew over the wound, but mercifully the bone and exoskeleton did not grow back.

Daxter lunged at the spider this time, hoping that it would not be able to pick up his movements. Unfortunately, it did, and the spider smacked him across the wall. As his body hit the wall, his hands let go of the hilt and Daxter slid down to the ground. The spider, enraged that its meal had dared to attack and injure it, made its way over to him, saliva beginning to ooze out of the foot-long pincers as it got closer.

Daxter looked into the milk-white eyes as the spider got closer when a series of explosions from above caused the house to cave in. Daxter darted away and took cover with Jak, his position giving him the opportunity to see the spider. To his horror, it emerged from the three hundred pounds of wreckage and Daxter could ear it sniff the air. It turned over to where they were and slowly made its way over to them, its pincers clicking in anticipation of the flesh that they would soon be savoring...

* * *

"I should have hit him harder," rang in Margaret's mind as she painfully came to. When she opened her eyes, she had a brief view of a man with red and black eyes before a hand wrapped itself around her throat. She gasped for breath as her head pounded from a combination of the blow that had knocked her out in the first place and the current lack of oxygen. She struggled against the hand that was clutching her windpipe and saw her brother. Or rather, she saw her brother's body, for whatever was choking her was not her brother. When they had fought at Gol's Citadel, a small amount of regret and recognition had always been present in his eyes. Now, that small scrap of familiarity was gone, replaced with perverted insanity. Perverted insanity… and intelligence. Margaret shivered as the gaze settled on her. Whatever was manipulating Benedict's flesh had gained rapidly in intelligence, since before she had been knocked out, Margaret had been fighting a creature that was a slave to blood-lust and violence. 

The hand that was around her neck let go and Margaret went crashing to the ground. She looked up at the form of her brother and shivered from its gaze. "What's it waiting for?" she wondered as it seemed to think of a strategy for something. "If its going to kill me, why doesn't it just get it over with already?" The beast occupying Benedict's body smiled a feral, evil smile and raised its hand. An Eco Blade appeared and he poised it at her neck. Margaret waited for the instant that the eyes of Benedict would widen slightly, because she knew that that would be the signal to move. As Torqueo thrust forward, Margaret leaned back and rolled to the left, hearing the Eco Blade hiss as it cut through rock. As she rolled between her brother's legs and came up behind him, Margaret kicked out, causing her brother to fall to his knees in agony. As he turned around, Margaret shot him in the chest with a small blast of Yellow Eco and ran out of the cave and into the light. She gasped at the scene before her: elves and Lurkers were still battling, dozens of corpses littering the area. Margaret heard a snarl behind her and turned around in time to see a fist come rocketing at her chest. She went flying back and hit a tree. As the trunk splintered slightly from the force of the blow, Margaret was certain she felt a rib or two break in half. Hastily, she turned on her Green Eco Box, though ever movement sent a blast of pain over her exhausted form. Her brother came charging at her and for the first time, Margaret fully understood why her brother had seemed so less like himself lately; he had a seed in the center of his chest. It was a dark purple, pulsating, and slimy. Margaret wondered what it could be and why it was making her brother act like this when the most unlikely thing that she thought could ever happen happened: her brother spoke.

"K- ki- kill… me," he croaked out. Margaret's brain reeled: the message had come out soft and strangled, but there could be no mistake as to what he had just asked her to do.

"Benedict?" she asked hesitantly, not sure if this was some kind of trick.

"Sis… ter. Ki- kill me. I, I can't st- stand this… anymore. I want it all t- to end. Please… put me… out of my misery," he asked as tears streamed down him face. Margaret stood, shocked at the fact that her brother, her real brother, was finally face-to-face with her again.

"I can't," she said, and those two words seemed to act as a physical blow, so much did he recoil.

"Please, I beg of you… Ki- kill me be- before I am forced to… harm you," he pleaded as his body charged up a Dark Grenade and raised its arm.

"I believe I have a better idea," Margaret said as Torqueo went to hit her with the Dark Grenade. Reacting with lightning-quick efficiency, Margaret Channeled Red Eco into her arms and slammed them down into the ground, creating a small shockwave. More importantly, she caused rocks to just out and force her brother back. "Now, lets try this again." dshe said as she stood up.

"Margaret please!" Benedict said again, a definite note of urgency now present in his voice. "Kill me while there is still time. I can feel the power building. Even if you fought me with all your might, it won't be-"

"I **know**," Margaret said, not deaf to the fact that her brother was able to speak much more clearly now. "That seed controls your body, Benedict, but not your will. If it is so strong that it can make you harm your own sister… then go ahead. I will not defend myself. But I know you Benedict. I have fought beside you, and I know you are stronger than that parasite. You are a Channeler- prove yourself worthy of the name!" Benedict's hand began slowly reaching for the object of pure evil embedded in his chest throughout Margaret's speech, determination beginning to shine in his eyes. "My power is your, brother. Be free!" Margaret stated as she placed her hand on her brother's heart.

"Yes…" Benedict mumbled as he fought to free himself from his own body. "Channeler… my friends… my sister! I will not harm Margaret, Gol…" he said strongly as he grasped the seed and began to yank it out of his body, ignoring the waves pain that rolled over him. "**I WILL NOT!**" he shouted as he ripped the seed that for so long had influenced his thoughts right out of his body. As blood spurted out of his chest, his body collapsed. Margaret rushed to his body and cradled his head in her lap.

"Margaret," Benedict said softly as he looked up at her, his eyes once again white and brown. Margaret looked down at him both proudly and questioningly. "Thank you," he sighed before closing his eyes and falling into a deep sleep. Margaret dragged them over to a dark and secluded area where no one could see them and placed her hand on his chest. She Channeled Green Eco into her finger and traced every laceration, every cut, every break in the skin until her brother was fully healed. She leaned against her brother's shoulder and proceeded to pass out.

"He's back," she thought as she wandered off to dream land. "My brother is finally back…"

* * *

Gravis was overcome by fury at the arrogance of the half-breed that dared to mock him. He leapt up over Hatu, only to realize that he had made a critical error: he was in the air, completely defenseless. Hatu's Saber came at him and Gravis realized in an instant that Hatu was aiming for his limbs. Gravis twisted and rotated his body, missing the deadly swipes so narrowly that he felt some of his hair get singed off. He landed and raised his left arm. He stabbed underneath his left arm behind him and felt his Eco Blade pierce his foe's chest. Hatu screamed in pain as he fell to the ground and tried to keep his guts from spilling out onto the floor. 

Gravis leaned his head back and roared in triumph, unaware that his victory was not as complete as he had hoped it would be. As he collected his Eco Saber, Hatu's body began to ever so slowly heal itself.

"If this is dying…" Hatu thought as he began to go under, "its not so bad… Even the pain is leaving me," Hatu noticed. But then he paid attention to his surroundings. His vision, rather than blurring, was becoming sharper again. He got to his feet and picked up his Eco Saber. He activated it and turned to Gravis, who looked at him with a face of utter disbelief.

"Its not possible," Hatu heard Gravis say.

"Wrong," Hatu said as he launched himself at his foe so they could renew their fight.

Hatu thrust his Saber forward at Gravis' hips. Gravis quickly angled his Saber down and parried the move, rotating his Saber so that Hatu's was moved to the side. Hatu went with the motion, spinning his body around and coming hard at Gravis' ribs. Gravis once again blocked the move, and backed off as three lightning-quick swipes that could have cut off some limbs he rather felt like keeping came his way. Hatu chased after him, tired of playing the defensive and wanting to take Gravis out once and for all. As he caught up with the Saber-wielding Lurker, Hatu could tell that Gravis was surprised by his sudden change from defense to offense. Hatu knew that his rapid change of style was unnerving his enemy, and he planned to milk this surprise for all it was worth.

Hatu swung for Gravis' head, a move that Gravis countered by swinging his sword down in an arc around his face. Hatu stopped his attack and smirked as Gravis continued going, a mistake that left him wide open to anything Hatu felt like throwing at him. To his surprise, Hatu merely singed some hair off Gravis' chest. Gravis looked at Hatu with a mixture of shock and rage, which caused Hatu to smirk.

"You, you…" Gravis spluttered as he felt the superficial wound. A mark on a Lurker's chest was degrading, especially to higher warriors, because suck a mark meant that they had been caught completely off guard. To Gravis, it was worse than an elf spitting in his eye. The only was for the insult to be countered was to decapitate the one who had left the mark and display their head on a post. Gravis growled at Hatu, thinking that rather than leaving it at the head, he would display every limb Hatu had- after Gravis hacked them off.

Hatu was taken aback at the speed and strength with which Gravis attacked him. He parried the move for his forehead and thrust his Saber forward quickly. Gravis was not to be humiliated again, however, and blocked the move by back flipping. Hatu rushed in, hoping to drive Gravis back and found himself hard-pressed to avoid going back, so fiercely did Gravis fight. Gravis came at Hatu twice before attempting to decapitate him. Hatu ducked under the blow and caught a strike aimed at his heart. The two got close to each other quickly and bared their teeth at each other.

"I'm gonna miss you after I cut you up you bastard," Gravis growled. Hatu ignored him and pushed against Gravis as hard as he could, driving the stronger Lurker away. He leapt over Gravis and came down behind him, aiming a strike at his back. Gravis blocked the attack and spun around, attacking so viciously that Hatu was pushed back. As Gravis pushed his opponent up the hill, he suddenly got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Even if he managed to hurt Hatu, his Regenerator blood would take over and heal the wound, making him nearly impossible to take down. Gravis dwelled on this thought for an instant too long, and Hatu went behind him. Now Gravis found himself blocking and moving backward as Hatu pushed him away.

Gravis tripped over a root sticking out of the ground and fell. Hatu gave him credit, as Gravis frantically tried to continue the fight even while on the ground, but he was growing tired of this. He threw his arms wide as he stepped back, a truly mocking stance.

"You can't beat me Gravis!" Hatu proclaimed. Even though Gravis knew Hatu was right, it drove him insane when he said it out loud. Gravis became so consumed by his rage that he did something incredibly stupid: he stabbed Hatu right in the chest and let go of the Saber.

Hatu winced as the Saber penetrated his flesh. He did not step back however, and looked at Gravis when the pain had subsided. He sighed before yanking it out of his chest and thrusting it in to the hilt into Gravis' chest, taking satisfaction of the way Gravis gasped with pain.

Gravis stumbled back as he yanked the weapon out of his chest, leaving a cauterized hole in his torso. But even as Hatu sighed in satisfaction, the wound began to close. Gravis smirked at Hatu's flabbergasted expression and took a combat stance. Gravis knew he had a limited healing factor, but he was keeping the fact that he could not heal limbs quiet. Hatu got over his shco quickly and leapt over a stroke aimed at his sternum. Gravis made a hasty and sloppy swipe at Hatu as he landed and Hatu ducked under it before back fisting Gravis with such a force that Gravis went tumbling down the hill. Hatu quickly ran past Gravis, letting his opponent become enraged. Gravis chased after Hatu and tried to dislodge him from the defensive stance that Hatu had placed himself in. Tried being the keyword. Hatu remained firm and was determined not to move. Gravis quickly picked up on this after the first blow and spun out of the way of a vertical strike that would have sliced him in two. Hatu watched his foe move and quickly drove him back. Gravis once again tripped and Hatu saw the imbalance before Gravis could rectify it. A well placed kick caused Gravis to once again be on a jutting rock. He looked up at Hatu and noticed how his enemy thought how he was going to win. Gravis inwardly smirked: Hatu had no idea that his healing factor could only take care of trivial things. The most he could do was heal a hole, but not a limb.

"So what now Hatu? Are we to be two unbeatable enemies locked in an epic battle until the Silos destroy everything?" Hatu looked down at Gravis and realized he had a point; both of them could heal any wound. He opted to not give an answer and instead swiped at the place where Gravis was lying. So intent was he on cleaving Gravis in half, Hatu put too much power behind his attack and found himself on the rock where Gravis had laid a moment ago. He jumped over a blow that would have hewed his legs off. The two Lurkers ran at each other when suddenly their Eco Sabers exploded. They stared at each other for an instant before they both ran at each other. Gravis quickly charged up his powers and let a blast of Dark Lightning. Hatu screamed as his skin burned and peeled off, only to grow back. Gravis smiled sadistically as Hatu's body began to crumple. He intensified his attack, focusing on causing Hatu pain so hard that he didn't notice that the body he was trying to kill was glowing golden. Hatu roared in a mixture of pain and power as a massive burst of Yellow Lightning shot forth from his fingertips with such force that Gravis was blasted back, went through a couple of trees, and came to rest a few feet inside a mountain.

Hatu had just enough time to wonder what in the name of the Precursors was going on with his body before fatigue took over and he slipped away into a dream.

"Cu- curse that whelp. What the hell is he?" Gravis asked as he stumbled out of the nice hole his body had made in the mountain. He looked up as he saw footsteps approaching and saw a familiar face.

"_You!_" Gravis roared as he lunged at the offending and advancing figure.

* * *

Keira slipped her gauntlets on as the Behemoth came charging at her. She prayed that the new function she had installed (which had taken her from the end of the battle at Gol's Citadel until yesterday) worked, or else the future was going to be looking very bleak indeed. 

The Behemoth ran in and swung its Sabers in opposite directions, one coming in at her leg, while the other was aimed at her neck. Keira backed up hastily and made a fist with her left hand. She slammed it into the palm of her right hand and prayed that what she had installed worked. A massive blast of blue shot out from her gauntlets, ripping them apart and sending shards of metal everywhere. Two small metal splinters shot at her face and she ducked enough to have them lodged in her face, just above her eyebrows. Keira plucked them out and thanked the Precursors: had they been wedged only an inch or so lower, she might have been blinded, most likely permanently.

Keira looked over at her adversary and saw him clutching many wounds with bloody stumps. She smiled grimly: she had taken her Eco Saber apart at the end of the battle at Gol's Citadel and discovered a small crystal of solid Eco in it. She had experimented until she had found a mixture of Eco that caused the crystals to detonate violently, causing the Saber's hilt to explode. The only downside was that the force was so strong that it would rip the gauntlets apart, and Keira was very thankful for the fact that unlike the Behemoth, she had kept her hands.

"What, what did you do to me?" the Behemoth roared at her, wanting to kill this female elf in front of him but unable to move. Apparently, the shards of Precursor metal had severed several important nerves that gave him mobility. Keira looked down at the Lurker without pity and drew her bow and arrow. She loaded a Yellow Eco arrow and pointed it at her enemy. The Behemoth's eyes widened as he realized what she was going to do, and he began struggling to move, desperate to get away from her before she could land the killing blow. Alas, he was not fast enough, and a small explosion along with a burn mark on the grass was all that remained of Keira's deadly adversary.

Keira sighed, her muscles protesting their long use today. She looked over at the windmill, grateful for the light that it provided. As she offered a prayer to the Precursors that Jak was all right, a sudden headache swept through her body. Her eyes tearing with the pain, Keira dropped to her knees as a scenario played itself in her head...

* * *

The Burrower cursed in its Lurker language as it hit another wall of solid rock. While it could tunnel through dirt and sand as easily as a shark could swim through water, the Burrower could not do anything when it came to rock. Suddenly, the bands holding Bryan to its body were severed. The Burrower looked back to see what had attacked it without prior notice. In the nonexistent light, the Burrower's night vision allowed it to simply see a man in a dark cloak. A katana was held in his left hand, a blade that seemed to be made of solid fire. Faster than the beast could blink, the man had run at the Burrower and cut the bonds holding Lauren as well. Before the Burrower could react to these unexpected turn of events, the man pointed his sword at the ceiling and a blast of Yellow Eco came out of the sword. A hole appeared in the ceiling and the man took the captives and leapt out of the hole. The Burrower finally realized that it had been robbed of its valuable hostages and roared as it emerged from the ground, flailing hundreds of tentacles… 

Only to be blasted to bits by streams of Yellow Eco.

The man looked with contempt at the bits of the Lurker Burrower's flesh as it rained down from the sky. He then looked at the two elves he had rescued and saw that they were stirring. "Are you all right, miss?" he asked the woman as she opened her eyes. Slowly Lauren nodded. "Good. Look after him, I have work to do," the man said before taking off.

"Wait! Who are you?" Lauren shouted, but the man either didn't hear her or chose to ignore her.

"Lauren?" Bryan muttered as he woke up.

"Hey Bryan," she muttered as the two of them could do nothing but watch the unfolding fight in front of them. Both armies were now taking a break, having reached the limits of their endurance. A single elf and a single Lurker were looking at the opposing armies, making sure that the other did not make a move.

* * *

The Warrior slammed its blade into the ground, missing the two elves by a hairbreadth. Mike rolled to the side and extended the hidden buzz saw hidden above the left wrist. He swung at the sword and cut the top part of it off. The Warrior continued to rage around, swinging its sword around wildly. Kristen loaded up three Yellow Eco arrows and shot the sword, completely destroying it. The Warrior turned around and swatted her with its dead arm, still caving in her chest and causing her ribs to puncture her lungs. Kristen fell to the ground and grabbed her chest. Every breath came like a gasp, and as her vision failed, she prayed that Mike would live on and have a good and happy life. 

Mike saw his girlfriend's life begin to fade away and a rage such as never before filled him. He picked up all of the remaining Yellow Eco arrows and charged the Warrior. He ducked under a punch and slammed the arrows into its chest, causing a massive explosion to envelop the creature. Mike was hurled back, a hole in his chest the size of a volleyball. He landed with a crash right next to Kristen. Despite their injuries, the two of them managed to conjure up a smile.

"Kristen…" Mike gasped out.

"Yeah?" Kristen whispered, talking being extremely difficult for her.

"I love you," Mike said, so softly that Kristen almost missed it. She did not, and a grin appeared on her face as she breathed in for the last time in her life.

"Love you too," she gasped out before her eyes closed and her head slumped down. Mike smiled as he, too, lay down, and died.

* * *

"THAT TRAITOR!" Maia screamed as she felt the light return to Benedict's heart. The evil that she and Gol had worked so hard to get in his soul had dissipated, replaced by a love for his sister. "I knew we should have killed her but no, my brother wanted to try to turn her to the dark side." 

Maia continued to rage like this for some time before taking a deep breath and trying to reassess the situation. So the elves had another Channeler on their side, big deal. Benedict was going to die in three days anyway. Maia had cultivated that seed to be perfect: if for any reason it was yanked out, it would release a serum into the bloodstream that would shut down the brain. The one thing Maia did not like about this process was the fact that it was completely harmless. Still, the thought that the Amplifier might kill herself out of loneliness brought Maia a small amount of comfort.

"Kill Jak, brother," she said to her brother, who was still in a trance.

* * *

Jak charged up his hands with Yellow Eco, ready to blow his opponent right out of his mind and into Legatee. Jak liked to think of himself as an easygoing person, but Gol had finally antagonized him enough to cause him to want to cause Gol pain and revel in it. As Jak charged, he suddenly stopped himself. He did not want to fall prey to the same trick Gol had used on Benedict. Jak took a deep breath and refocused his intentions. He glared at Gol, still angry, but it was no longer the blinding rage that would have caused him to fall towards the dark side of human emotions. Gol growled as he saw Jak calm himself and he launched a blast at Jak. Jak dodged to the side and fired a small burst of Yellow Eco. Gol dodged as well, keeping in mind that he didn't want to kill Jak. Not yet. He would die in one hour anyway, and that would be a truly painful experience. And then… then Gol would take control and use Jak's body as a tool of death and destruction. Jak ran in, hoping to take advantage of Gol's distraction, and put away his Yellow Eco, deciding to use red Eco. He just hoped that Gol was not as apt at hand-to-hand combat as he was as Channeling. 

Jak meleed with Gol for a few minutes before he realized he would have to use a mixture of Channeling and power to win this fight. He back flipped away and threw a Yellow Eco spear at Gol's face. Gol pulled his metal arm up at the last possible moment, taking the attack there instead. The blast, which had proven itself capable of blasting through solid walls on previous occasions, did manage to make contact with the metal appendage, but it pretty much ran out of steam after that. Gol charged up an attack of his own before letting it fly. Jak flew up out of the way, and twisted to his left side as a pair of Dark Eco rays blew by him, singing a piece of his pants off.

Jak angled his body downward and charged in at Gol while he was still recovering from his last attack. However, as he rushed back in, hoping to end the battle there and then, Gol retained enough power to retaliate. He spun around three hundred and sixty degrees and back fisted Jak. The Channeler had hardly expected this and the blow hit him square in his nose. Bone cracked, and blood spurted out of a deep wound in his face where an inch deep indentation was left where Gol's metal fist made contact.

Jakhit the ground, hard, and began to bounce and roll over the floor. After he healed his nose by using Green Eco, Jak shot through the air, and shot a bolt of Yellow Eco towards his opponent. Gol dodged and charged Jak, anxious t get out of ranged fighting, where Jak was proving he was better at it than Gol.

As they reentered melee range, Gol summoned his Dark Eco Blade, ready to unleash it upon his adversary. Jak summoned one of his own, although he decided to use Yellow Eco rather than Dark, and the two met with a thunderous din. Jak brought his Blade in from the side, a move that Gol block with his metal forearm and then attempted to retaliate against, lashing out with the other limb, the Blade changing into a tentacle of liquid Dark Eco that lashed out and caused Jak to skid back.

Jak breathed heavily as he concentrated on healing the burn marks on his body. About three seconds later, the two were at each other's throats yet again. Gol blasted himself forward, willing himself to move as fast as he possibly could as he angled his Blade straight for where Jak's heart was located. However, it was not destined to be the deathblow of the fight, as the Adaptor Channeler's own razor fast movements with his Blade forced Gol to take a detour, or suffer from some rather painful consequences. The Dark Eco harnessing elf opted for a different attack, twirling as he dodged to the right in midair and diving underneath the offensive assault that Jak had thrown at him.

Jak brought his Blade back after missing and slammed it down. Gol's eyes widened as streams of Yellow Eco came off the Blade and impacted him in the chest. Jak watched in satisfaction as Gol went down, his frail body slamming into the ground. Jak rushed down, not wanting to give Gol a moment to restore his power. Gol had fully recovered, the rules of mental combat allowing him to heal more rapidly than he could in real life, as long as he concentrated properly on doing so.

Gol brought his metal fist in with all the strength he had at his disposal as Jak got closer, kicking up a small wind with the force behind it. Jak expertly dodged the blow with twist followed by a duck. As Gol tried to hit him again, Jak rushed forward so that he was right underneath the Dark Lord. He grabbed a leg and spun around, releasing Gol so that he slammed into the ground once more. Jak watched as Gol got up. A tentacle of Dark Eco extended from his arm and hit Jak, even though he was well over ten feet away. Gol wrapped them around Jak and slammed his opponent into the ground before he continued to pound away at him furiously, knowing that the wounds would heal quickly. As he missed a single strike, Jak flew forward with Blue Eco and went to close the distance between them. Gol decided that now was a good time to show off yet another trick that he had hidden up his sleeve. He thrust his hands outwards, and focused his powers. This time, though, rather than the twin beams of energy coming forth, Jak instead found himself having to deal with a barrage of baseball-sized energy pellets coming towards him at a rather high rate of speed.

Frantically, the Channeler flew up. Gol turned with him, trying to lead him as he unleashed dozens of Dark Eco bursts a second at him. Jak summoned another Eco Blade and began deflecting them back at Gol. After about three seconds, Jak was exhausted from having to move so fast and he decided to make a Green Eco shield.

Gol eventually realized that to continue pounding away at the shield Jak had erected was futile and stopped firing. Jak instantly conjured up a Yellow Eco Blade and waved it around a few times, sending scythes of Yellow Eco streaking towards Gol. Although the evil elf dodged most of them, some connected on several places, causing the Dark Lord to snarl in a slight amount of pain. Gol did not lose his focus upon the battle, and was soon flying up to Jak, bringing them both back into melee range.

Jak threw a right punch followed by a combination of kicks. All were block by Gol, and as the two struggled against each other, they realized that they needed to settle this battle once and for all.

The two of them faced each other and charged up what they mutually understood would be the final attack. The very air seemed to vibrate as each of the two Sages unleashed an enormous beam of Dark and Yellow Eco. The beams collided in the middle and they began vying to win the struggle. The two beams pushed back and forth, gaining and losing a little.

Gol began to groan as they reached the two minute point. He widened his hands and a stream of Dark Eco Lightning broke off of the main beam. Jak hastily erected a shield, but eventually Gol won and Jak was blown backwards. Gol quickly tied Jak up with more Dark Eco and laughed as Jak closed his eyes, fighting to but unable to stay awake any longer...

* * *

Keira watched as she saw Jak lying on a bed. As midnight sounded, his body began to fade away. Keira ran at him and hugged him desperately, but as the final stroke of midnight chimed, Jak's body faded away completely. Keira sank to her knees and sobbed, unable to face the truth that Jak was gone. Suddenly, a flash of light caused her to open her eyes. She looked up and saw Jak, everything about him normal. She ran up to him and hugged him, elated when she felt him hug her back. But in the back of her mind, Keira knew something was wrong. Jak's grip tightened as he refused to let go of her. Keira began to struggle, but stopped when Jak looked at her again. He closed his eyes when they looked normal and when he had opened them again, they looked like Gol's: back and yellow, full of hate and maliciousness. Keira closed hr eyes as he charged up a blast of Dark Eco and threw it at her. 

The blast never came.

Keira opened her eyes and saw a different scenario. Like before, Jak was I na bed, and like before, his body was fading with every chime. Unlike before, Keira saw herself arrive. Keira watched as this imaginary version of herself placed her lips on Jak's. Jak's body came back and this time, Keira watched him celebrate with the fake Keira. Happiness welled up in her heart as she saw that Jak was back for real this time.

Suddenly, everything obscured by a blast of light, and a voice echoed in the chamber. "This is what can happen. The future will be based on the consequences of your decisions. Choose wisely…" the deep voice said as everything went dark…

Keira woke up on the battlefield. She looked around and wondered what she had just seen was about. Had it been a vision. She was Samos' blood daughter after all, maybe she could be slightly prophetic. Her blood froze as midnight began to chime from the town. She got up and started sprinting towards the town, counting the chimes off in her head.

_Two_… as she leapt over a rock. Keira could see the town up ahead, getting closer and closer.

_Three_… Keira entered the village and dashed towards Jak's house, trying not to think of what might happen if she failed.

_Four_… Keira arrived at where the house had once stood and saw now a pile of rubble. She realized the Eco Saber detonator she had used must have set off the one's in the house, causing it to collapse into the ground.

_Five_… Keira looked through the rubble and saw something stir. Hope filled her heart as wreckage was moved aside so something could emerge.

_Six_… Keira watched in horror as a giant spider emerged from the debris and began sifting through wood, looking for something.

_Seven_… Keira cried out in horror as she saw Jak lying in a pile of debris. Daxter had been caught by the spider, which was now preparing to eat said rodent.

_Eight_… Keira landed in the hollowed out ground and picked up a splintered dagger. She jumped up onto a leg and began climbing up the spider.

_Nine_… Keira struggled to reach the top as the spider bucked wildly. She finally got up to the head and dove the dagger in before twisting it, popping the spider's head right off.

_Ten_… Keira and Daxter fell to the ground as the spider's body collapsed. Keira spared Daxter a look that told her he was unconscious.

_Eleven_… Keira ran at Jak, limping slightly with her left leg, but determined to get to him in time.

As the final chime sounded, Keira lowered her lips on to Jak's. She kept her eyes shut, praying she was in time. A sudden intake of breath made her open her eyes and Keira opened her eyes. Pure blue orbs met her gaze, and Keira removed her lips from his as she embraced him. Jak sat up and looked at her, thanks apparent in his gaze. Both of them blushed slightly as the remembered what had just transpired before Jak realized they were alone. Jak smiled at Keira before putting a hand on her shoulder and pulling her in for another kiss. The two elves reveled in the fact that they had finally accomplished what they had been trying to do for several months. Keira closed her eyes and drifted off to seep in Jak's lap, the exhaustion of the day finally taking its toll on her. Jak sat up and pulled Keira against his body. He wrapped his arms around her stomach and inhaled her scent. As he closed his eyes to rest up for the upcoming battles, Jak's heart felt lighter than it had in months. He drifted off to sleep, but not before saying a silent vow to always protect Keira.

* * *

Well, there you have it. Please don't be too harsh on me for the sappy romance, because it was the best that my pathetic attempts could create. Hopefully, I resolved all of the cliffhangers, but I couldn't resist leaving one. On one last note, I think you all should go check out Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Wars. Its author, Phantom64, wrote a pretty good first chapter, but he doesn't seem to be getting the credit that he deserves for all his hard work. I won't give away details, but it's based after Jak X and involves Lurkers, so please check it out. And for the end, I leave you with these questions. Who was that man? Who is Gravis going to fight next? Why are Bryan and Lauren so important? Will I ever shut up? Where's my PB&J sandwich? Okay, enough of that. Please let me know what you thought (but remember, not too harsh on the romance) by leaving me a note, idea, criticism, or even a flame. Until, next time, I wish you all fair fortune.

* * *

My Favorite Authors (They are listed alphabetically, not by preference.) 

1. Amathist Fwirrel

2. animedragongirl

3. Keeroshu

4. Light-Eco-Sage

5. Red Mage 04

6. Silver-WindScar

Quote of the week- Me

* * *

Me: Rule #3 of Life- An angry woman is much scarier than an angry man is. Size is irrelevant in this scenario. 


	35. Mysterious Alignments

As usual, here are the responses to the reviews you all so kindly gave me, in case there was an emailing error and you did not receive them. 

Red Mage 04- Yeah, it is sad that I had to kill off some friends, but hey, war is hell. And people die, no matter how harsh that sounds. Hehehe, you might have influenced my writing a little bit, and I actually feel happy about that. I'm influenced by one of the best writers on the Web. Sorry about the errors, as I am far from being perfect. I will try to make this chapter as good as possible. I really liked that quote, and if it quite all right with you, could I make that my Rule of Life #7. All credit would go to you, since you told it to me. Let me know, and I will appease your greatness with sandwiches and chapters.

GoodMorningBeautiful2005- Yup, Jak is back. Hehe, that rhymes. Yup, Gol will most definitely, without a doubt go to hell. A living hell. I'm impressed: you know people from Naughty Dog. God, I wish I could meet one of them and just congratulate them on making such a great game that I could write a horrible story about. I have no idea who Envy is, but if they read this then I thank them. And if they aren't could you please thank them for me? You ordered me to update, and here is the chapter that you so desired. What can I do except look at one of your works, as you have been gracious enough to read this unmitigated crap.

Keeroshu- Yay! You're back! Aw, its okay that you didn't read my last chapter. Yup, hell, I mean, school, is unfortunately giving me seven tests this week! EVIL! Gol I wish I could use Eco. It'd be great if a teacher gives me a test and I just burn it and then they can't prove it. And then no one can take it because I burn them all. Ah, well, I can dream. I hope Your great-aunt feels better, as everyone has enough trauma and tragedy enough now without the death of a family member. Congratulations on your speech, and if it was half as good as your writing, I'm sure it was superb. Chapter Nine will be up? (calls friends and throws a gigantic party, with candy, and root beer, and other things that can make me high on sugar). You're invited by the way. Everyone's invited. Yup, Jak's out of the woods, as you say, and now the real struggle can begin. Unfortunately, Sandover has not seen the last of its problems, since this chapter things will go down even further. Ironically, this will somewhat reinforce Rule of Life #4. I honestly don't care _when_ you read this, I'm happy when you do. Can't wait to see what happens between Jak and Colle next chapter. One last note- thanks very much for the email, and you will be pleased to see that Cara makes two debuts in this chapter, but you won't see yourself in action until next chapter.

Silver-WindScar- Yup, the two finally got their moment. To be bluntly honest, I was gonna save that for the second to last chapter, but then my friend suggested a theme that I thought would be very useful, so I moved the kiss up a few chapters. As to the high-powered fan, uh… military? I hear Area 51 has great things like that. And thanks for making me one. Glad it takes a lot to scare you off, but trust me, one second in my mind would send you into a horror induced coma. On a happier note, enjoy the chapter.

Amathist Fwirrel- Yay! Free from exams, you are. Mimicking you, I an talented at. Hehe, you need therapy. But then again, NOT having people is what makes such colorful characters as ourselves, eh? You give me far too much credit, my talented friend. To be honest, knocking Daxter out was the only way I could think of to get him not to disturb the two of them. The only downside is that now I have to throw in all kinds of mushy stuff, which will make my writing look worse than ever before. As to the spiders, who knew? Me! Hahaha! Actually it was… hey wait, who are you guys. No, not the jacket. Wait, rooms full of sponges? Yay! (whistles as nice men in white lead me off into a truck.)

CrazyOttsel- YAY MY 100TH REVIEW! THANK YOU! You didn't think it was sappy? Thanks very much. Actually, I made the spider blind for one reason: there would be no way Daxter could pull of injuring the thing if it could see him. Yup, Jak is back, and he's ready for some action. Not all with Keira. Yeah, but honestly, everyone can't survive war, and I needed Mike and Kristen to be killed for a purpose later. Benedict is good, but remember what Maia said: he will die in three days. Well, I can't say that Jak and Benedict will be bosom buddies, but Benedict is going to try to make it up to Jak, who will forgive him. Remember, Jak is pure and has no malice or hatred in his heart. Not permanent at least. Thanks for saying you loved this chapter, and I hope that I will continue to please you.

animedragongirl- I am deeply sorry that the last chapter displeased you so. I won't have so many skipping arounds any more, and hopefully that will make it better. I did indeed reread this chapter, but since it obviously didn't do the trick, I will start doing it more than once. I am sorry that this work is such an eyesore, but if it makes you feel any better, I am trying as hard as I can to make it nice. Since it isn't enough, I will just have to try harder. As for Rule #3, I have discovered that it is indeed true, both from observation and experience.

Anon- I am deeply sorry that I have not written this story good enough for you. As to your initial suspicion: you are correct. I originally intended to make this a novelizing, but then one idea entered my head, and then another. By the fourth chapter, I decided to go along with my idea and see what it would look like. By those girls, I assume you mean Kristen and Lauren. One is now deceased and the other has a significant role to play before the book is done. You are right on another point: that I got the Blue Eco Temple from the Temple and the lost Precursor City. Sorry that I could not make the others to your liking, but my limited and almost nonexistent talent can only go so far. Yes, I decided that Jak should not have been able to fully penetrate and discover everything within the Temples, so I put in hidden chambers and such. The "hidden area," you referred to is actually just that, but it will be revisited and explained. Hopefully, I will be able to improve my battle scenes, and the second showdown with Gol will be much better- if you stick around, that is. I will admit that my romance scenes are nothing to be desired, but I was hoping that with time, I had improved. Ah well, that simply means that I must try all the more harder to make them satisfactory. Yes, I stole from Star Wars, yes, I decided that Jak and Keira and everyone else needed occasional time off, and yes, I allowed Gol to win. I thought that those would make my story original, but I'm sorry that you find them to be such eyesores. That scene between Jak and Keira, when she wakes him up with a kiss, yes it was cliché, but I couldn't help myself. It seemed to be the most romantic thing I could think of, since I wanted the two of them to become an official item. Once again, I apologize that I was unable to create a satisfactory story for you, but seeing how high your standards are, I really think you should check out my favorites list. Red Mage in particular has created a masterpiece entitled Risen Demon and War of the Ancients, so if novels are your thing, he is the best I can recommend. For humor, animedragongirl is good with The Jak and Daxter Prank War. Silver-WindScar, Amathist Fwirrel, Keeroshu, and Light-Eco-Sage are also excellent writers, so if I am not good enough, I highly suggest that you take up them instead. I am confident that they will be able to give you whatever you desire.

Disclaimer- Good news. I have been given a serum that will let me say that I don't own the Jak and Daxter franchise without getting sick.

* * *

Mysterious Alignments

A loud crack split the silent air as the red moon shone down on Weyard. Gol looked up at it with approval before focusing his mind back on the task at hand. He made his way up the desolate street to the large building in front of him. Two burly elves stepped out of the shadows and advanced menacingly. Gol looked up as he threw his cloak back and they backed off, nodding slightly as he passed them and additional security.

As Gol entered the large building, he thought about that female companion of Jak's. If it wasn't for her, Jak would be dead, and he could have transferred his mind and powers to Jak's body.

"Gol. What are you doing here?" a female voice asked. Gol's eyes narrowed at the elf addressing him as though he were not a Sage.

"I was here to ask if you have reconsidered my generous offer," he said dryly as a sword was drawn and pointed at his throat.

Large green eyes narrowed at him as the sword was raised and pointed it at his heart.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't slice you to bits right now?" she snarled.

"Because, you stupid girl, if you kill me, any chance of saving your mother will be gone," Gol drawled. He smiled in satisfaction at the cringing of the girl on front of him. "I promise you, I have an arrangement that will benefit us both. All I ask is for one simple errand." The girl's eyes narrowed again: she did not trust this elf. His sudden appearance was too coincidental with their chief's illness for her taste. The majority of her people hailed him almost as a Precursor for his ability to take a deadly substance and bend it to his will, but she could practically smell deceit and blood coming from this man. Unfortunately, she was unable to do anything about it: the laws of her island strictly stated that until her mother died or was unable to communicate, she still held control over the island. And unfortunately, her mother seemed predisposed to believe this man.

"So, if you can save my mother, why don't you?" the girl ground out through clenched teeth.

"I require something, and your mother has been… reluctant to give it to me," Gol said, his eyes flashing slightly in the dark as he finished the sentence. He noticed the princess' gaze and immediately put up his hands, keeping them open but preparing to kill her if she made any move towards him. "Nothing like that. But as your mother refuses to give me what I desire, perhaps you will be more… accommodating."

The girl shivered at his tone of voice, sure that she would regret her decision. But an image of her mother surfaced in her mind: the dark red hair full of tangles from tossing and turning at night; her normally tan face pale and flushed as terrible waves of pain wracked through her body. Another image, this one of her father, surfaced as well. She could remember seeing him in the coffin that her people sent out to sea like it was yesterday. He father's green eyes, just like her own, closed so hat no one would see their cold, dead look. She especially remembered her father's hair: bright red strands braided together as was customary on her island.

"All right. What do you want?" she muttered.

"Not what. Who." Gol said. At her confused stare, he sighed and explained. "Ninety eight miles northwest of this island is a continent. On the southern coast is a small fishing village called Sandover. There are some people there that I want dead, but I do not want you to do it for me. There are two elves there named Bryan and Lauren. I want you to bring them here, safe and unharmed."

"So I'm to just grab two random people and hope that they are the ones that you need?" the girl asked dryly.

"Lauren is fourteen years old. She has blond hair that goes down to her lower back. She has blue-green eyes, and usually wears black pants, dark blue shirt and a metal claw with a crystal earrings and necklace. Bryan is seventeen years old, and has short spiky blondish-brown hair. He has blue eyes and a tattoo on his right shoulder of a Lurker Scorpion. The two of them are always together, so after you find one, the other will not be too far off. As I said, I want you to bring them here and keep them locked up. When I come to collect them, you will receive your payment."

"Oh no. You don't expect me to just do a favor without receiving some kind of assurance. I want something now," the girl said. Not wanting to aggravate the girl and possibly stop a potentially useful ally, Gol sighed and extended his left hand. He waved his fingers in the air in intricate patterns and various Precursor artifacts appeared.

"Here. A dozen of my most precious artifacts. Do what I have asked, and I will give you fifty more, along with your mother's cure." Impressed as she was by the artifacts gleaming in the moonlight and infatuated with images of her mother healthy, the girl nodded her head. "Good. Now, I must be off. I have other matters to attend to tonight." Gol nodded his head at the girl before disappearing into thin air with a loud crack.

The girl sighed and went back up to the palace, motioning for her hidden bodyguards to collect the artifacts for examination and diagnosis.

As a political battle over the island's next course of action with the council approached, a battle of a different kind was about to begin nearly a hundred miles away.

* * *

"Cu- curse that whelp. What the hell is he?" Gravis asked as he stumbled out of the nice hole his body had made in the mountain. His body began to slowly regenerate the skin that had peeled off from the force of the Yellow Lightning blast that Hatu had hit him with. He looked up as he heard a twig snap and saw a man throw back his hood. A familiar face looked at him with disgust and anger. "_You!_" Gravis roared as he lunged at the offending and advancing figure.

"Me." Sett's face was thrown into sharp relief in the blue light. "I assume we have nothing to talk about?" he said as he drew a katana.

"As a matter of fact, we do!" Gravis snarled before drawing a vial out of a pouch on his belt. He threw it at Sett, and the legendary swordsman sliced it in half before it could hit him. Multicolored liquid splashed all over him, and when the dust cleared, Gravis smirked at the small figure of what had just been a six foot tall, two hundred and fifty pound full grown elf of pure muscle. In its place was now a three foot tall thirty pound elf that looked more like a child.

"A little present from Gol," Gravis sneered.

"That's the best you can do? Please don't tell me that you thought this would intimidate me," Sett said as he adopted a fighting stance. Gravis blinked in incredulity before summoning an Eco Blade and leaping at Sett.

Sett quickly drew his katana (which had shrunk proportionately to him) and leapt a good ten feet back at his opponent. As Gravis saw this, he was astonished: Sett had leapt a little more than three times his height. The two landed about two feet away from each other and the battle began.

Sett struck for Gravis' feet, and no sooner had his attack been intercepted did he spin to his right and attack again, moving so fast that even Gravis was hard pressed to keep up with him. Gravis got one offensive strike in after about three minutes, but it was thwarted almost before it began.

Sett leaned forward and kicked off the ground, spinning his body sideways like a top and effectively becoming a proverbial tornado of death. Gravis blocked the seven blows before switching hands and spinning around to continue living: something he was in no way eager to stop doing. As Sett landed, Gravis struck forward, but his attack became a block as Sett continued to spin after landing, giving himself incredible speed and surprising power for someone so small in stature. He performed another spinning leap and sliced the very tip of Gravis' remaining hair off.

Sett swatted away another attack as he landed before rapidly putting Gravis back on the defensive. Sett had watched the fight between Gravis and Hatu, and noticed that Gravis' defensive power was lacking. The only thing that had allowed him to easily defeat Jak and Benedict in the past was the Channelers' lack of swordsmanship at that point. He rushed in, his stab at Gravis' left knee getting deflected, but Sett stubbornly kept up his assault.

He struck nineteen times in four seconds, nearly exhausting Gravis with his nightmarish speed before leaping into the air again. As before, Gravis was forced to quickly spin around and switch hands to avoid getting impaled. As it was, he nearly was. Sett struck again with his right arm before spinning around and striking again. Gravis quickly lowered his Blade and was nearly made shorter by a foot and a half: he had been expecting another jump. As Sett rushed in again, Gravis locked their swords, planning on breaking the lock and gaining the offensive.

Sett saw through this feeble strategy in an instant and broke off the lock first, driving Gravis' sword away before leaping into the air again. As he passed over Gravis' head, Sett glared at the Lurker, letting it know that there was no hope for it and that Gravis would die before the day was done. Gravis swiped at the ground, hoping to take Sett by surprise, but it was not to be. Sett stepped back and performed three more sideways leaps, the third one going clear over Sett and landing on a wide, flat boulder.

Gravis threw his Blade, using a trick Gol had taught him to make it come back, but that split second was enough. With his enemy unarmed, Sett rushed in and landed in Gravis' chest. Gravis fell off the small cliff they were on and landed on the ground, his hilt landing right next to him. Sett sent a small beam of Blue Eco out of his sword and forced Gravis' body down another good foot or two. Sett landed on the outside of the small hole he had created and smirked when Gravis stepped back when he got up.

"You still have much to learn. A true swordsman is perfect on both offense and defense." Gravis growled before summoning another Dark Eco Blade and trying to get out of the hole he was in. Trying being the key word. Sett had planned his attack out. There were now three advantages that were his: his head was now even with Gravis' shoulder; Gravis' movement was greatly reduced; and Sett was in a perfect position to either prevent Gravis from getting out of the hole or killing him as he tried. Gravis noticed these points quickly and swore.

As he continued attacking, Sett had to give Gravis credit: even though he knew he was beaten, he refused to go down. Sett knew Gravis' mind- Gravis was going to fight until he was either killed or unable to move. Either way, Sett could not deny that Gravis had a true warrior's spirit. For an instant, Sett lamented on the fact that Gravis could have done so much good had he not been raised by Gol. He quickly put the feelings of pity aside and resumed his attack.

As Sett attacked, he proved once more that he was far more agile and powerful than one would expect, given his size. The only bad thing about his position was the fact that it was much easier for Gravis to on the offensive. He blocked a horizontal blow and countered with a sideways swipe of his own. Gravis blocked the katana and pushed forward, hoping to send his smaller opponent back. Sett redirected Gravis' attack and used it to propel himself off the ground again, jumping to his right at an angle so that he stayed on the outside of the hole he had created. The last thing Sett wanted was for Gravis to be able to free himself, since it would make the fight drag on, and Sett needed to get back to the village to see how everyone was doing. He steadied himself on the uneven rock with one hand and continued to fight with only one limb. Gravis was impressed with Sett's skill: not only was he defending himself with only one hand, but the reduced-in-size elf was actually managing to go on the offensive for small periods of time. Sett brought his sword sweeping in from the right side with such power that Gravis blocked for only an instant before deflecting it instead. As Gravis made a stab, Sett once again pushed off the ground, spinning to the left this time in that odd way of his as Gravis brought his face back an inch to keep it connected with the rest of his head.

Sett landed and once again blocked a horizontal strike, making a mental note to himself to make Gravis pay the next time he tried that underhanded tactic. He jumped back and spun in midair once, keeping his katana at a diagonal angle so as to deflect any incoming attacks. He saw another swipe coming in and decided to change his tactic; instead of blocking it, Sett jumped over the incoming attack and stabbed at Gravis' skull on his way up. Gravis barely deflected the blow in time and spun around to keep his eyes on his foe. Sett continued to jump around, never staying in any place too long. Contrary to what Gravis might be thinking, Sett knew that he would not be tiring his body out any time soon. Sett felt freer than he had in a long time. It had been thirty years since he had been able to use his true power. As he fought, Sett let his emotions fly free, but he kept them in enough of a lock so that they would not let him injure himself or take an unnecessary risk. Above all, Sett kept his emotions away from hatred. Anger he channeled through his body without hesitation, but he would never allow himself to use his hatred as a weapon again. As he blocked another blow, Sett remembered the last time he had let his emotions get the better of him… and what the outcome had been.

Sett leapt off the ground again, ricocheting a blow aimed at his hip with a horizontal block. As he landed, Sett jumped once more without even taking the time to attack. Gravis angrily brought his Blade down and to the right and Sett smiled. Gravis brought his Blade up for another attack, only to find that Sett had blocked him. The two of them struggled for a moment before Sett let Gravis go and began his unorthodox manner of fighting again. He thought of a way to end the fight and spun as he jumped for the last time. He deliberately spun too far and Gravis made a pass at his back. Sett let go of his sword and spun around. He grabbed his weapon and knocked Gravis' Blade to the outside. He locked eyes with Gravis for an instant, and saw that Gravis knew it was over. Gravis' eyes widened slightly as he realized his mistake, and he gasped as Sett's razor sharp blade pierced his gut.

Sett tightened his grip and completed his slash, his sword going right through one of Gravis' lungs and out his side. Gravis fell back and landed on his back. Sett sheathed his sword and walked over to the dying Lurker.

"How? How did you defeat me?" Gravis gasped: talking with one lung was harder than one thought.

"Simple. This is my true form. Gol's master cursed me to that form that you have seen before. No doubt Gol intended to deform me even further, not knowing that I could be my full potential again." Gravis nodded his understanding as his vision dimmed. Sett turned to go, but paused as Gravis called him.

"Sett…" Gravis gasped. The elf turned around and stood over the weakened and dying form beneath him. "Please… grant me… a warriors… death," he pleaded. Sett nodded grimly: he could not deny such a fighter his final wish, and especially such a one as that. He unsheathed his blade and held it above Gravis' neck. Gravis closed his eyes and smiled as Sett lowered the weapon, cutting through Gravis' neck and beheading him.

"Farewell Gravis," Sett said softly as he left. As he left the sight of carnage and death, he turned around and sent a blast of Yellow Eco at the small cliff above Gravis. A small avalanche buried the great warrior. Sett bowed his head one last time before he turned around and left for Sandover. He was happy that Jak was now awake, but worried about Samos' turning and rumors of Gol creating a new army. Sett threw his hood over his head as he reached the village and leaned against a rock, deciding that he would talk with everyone in the morning. The red moon shined brightly in the dark, casting an eerie glow over the land.

* * *

Jak woke up without opening his eyes. He felt a warm weight leaning against his chest and looked down, expecting to see Daxter. Instead, he saw the blue and green hair of the girl he loved. Memories of last night came flooding back, and Jak's face turned red as he remembered how he and Keira had kissed. He tightened his grip slightly on her stomach possessively and she wiggled closer to him in her sleep. Suddenly, Jak remembered Daxter and wondered where his friend was- and how long it would take for him to spread the story of Keira and him around the village. He spotted his friend off in the distance by a small pile of wreckage and for an instant thought he was dead. Jak relaxed when he saw the steady and unchanging rhythm of Daxter's breathing. Jak looked around and realized that he was laying down with Keira in a crater where his house had been. A monstrous spider was curled up in the distance, and the sun shining down on him was not green, but… black? With a red perimeter? Jak had to know what was going on and decided to wake Keira up. He shook her shoulder gently and smiled when he heard her mutter.

"Just a few more minutes Dad. I don't wanna go to school today…" Keira sighed softly. Jak shook her a bit harder and Keira's eyes flew open. She leaned forward and stretched not realizing Jak was behind her. As she heard his breathing, Keira turned around and stared at Jak, both their faces turning red as they remembered what had transpired the night before.

"Jak, I…" Keira started to say, but stopped when Jak reached forward and embraced her. Keira wrapped her arms around him and the two of them stayed like that for a few minutes. Eventually, Jak's curiosity returned and he let go of her. He pointed to the sad excuse of what twelve hours ago had been a house, the spider, and then the sun. Keira sighed and began to explain the situation.

Thirty minutes later, Jak and Keira were climbing out of the cavity. For once, Keira was faster due to the atrophy in Jak's muscles. Still, Jak never once groaned or made any movements that indicate he was unhappy. It might have been hard for him to move, but at least he could move and wasn't in the prison to which he had been condemned for a month. He reached the top and grasped Keira's hand as she helped him up. Jak got up off the ground and looked around. Fortunately, the village hadn't suffered to badly from the attack. With some hard work, Jak knew that they might be able to rebuild the two damaged houses by the end of the day. After placing Daxter in a pile of grass, Jak began walking around the town, stopping after every minute or so to catch his breath.

Jak felt like a wimp. Here he was the great "hero," of Sandover, and he was stopping every sixty seconds to catch his breath. He ground his teeth in frustration, but calmed down when he felt Keira's hand on his shoulder. He looked at her, vowing to turn away of he saw pity in her gaze. When he locked eyes with her, Jak saw nothing except admiration. He instantly felt better: Keira did not feel sorry for him because he could not move as he once could, but rather respected him for not feeling sorry for himself and for trying to get back on his feet.

"Its okay Jak," Keira said as she pulled one of his arms around her shoulder. She walked with him, letting him lean on her as he needed so he could make better progress. Keira felt pride swell within her heart as Jak determinedly continued moving, knowing how crucial and precious time was in this infected state of affairs. She knew that with his willpower, Jak would be back to normal in a few days. Normally, Green Eco treatment could be used, but as she did no know the proper amount to give him and how often, Keira decided not to mention it. Her father would know, but he wasn't around. Keira could only hope that someone in the village would know, as the treatment would allow Jak to be fully healed in as little as two days. Much as she disliked taking shortcuts, Keira knew that the sooner they got moving, the sooner they could try to reverse what Gol had done, if it were even possible.

"Jak," she said softly, and Jak paused in his strides to look at her. "Can we reverse what Gol has done?" Jak smiled and nodded. He took her hand and began writing with his finger in it. Keira read what he wrote out loud. "Samos said… that if … we reopen… the Silos… the Dark… Eco will… return and… all will… be set right." She looked back up at Jak, her eyes filled with hope, an emotion she had forced herself not to feel for a month for fear of being hurt. But now she let hope penetrate her fully and reveled in its glorious feeling. She suddenly noticed Jak was walking again, making his way slowly towards the Eco Vent in the middle of town. "Jak, what are you doing?" she asked as he stopped her from moving and stepped into the Vent. He lifted his arms and began moving them around. Salvageable pieces of wood and other such materials began flying together to make a building that was about twice the size of Samos' hut. He looked up at his creation with pride before sitting down and leaning against a wall.

Keira sat down beside him and smiled at him. Jak smiled back: although it hadn't done much, he felt much better at doing _something_ for his village finally. He leaned on Keira's shoulder and they turned to look at each other. Jak realized that no one was around and he leaned in. Keira saw what he was doing and moved towards him, their lips meeting fiercely. All the years of frustration of not being able to express themselves (particularly Jak) showed themselves as they embraced. Eventually, they decided they would like to stop in favor of catching their breath, but this break was short. Their lips met again, but this time in a softer and gentler way. Jak's hand reached up and began to run through Keira's hair. Keira smiled as she reached up and started massaging his scalp.

A whistle caught their attention and they broke apart. Lauren, Bryan, Margaret and Daxter were standing before them, huge grins on their faces. The four of them burst into laughter as they saw Jak and Keira try (and fail) to look innocent and as though they had not just been caught making out. Eventually Keira started in, and Jak began to grin.

After catching his breath, Bryan wiped his eyes and looked at the two. "Always wondered when you two were gonna grow up and get together," he said as he expended his hand to Jak. Jak grasped the hand and Bryan pulled his friend up. Jak embraced his friend, and Bryan hugged him right back, happy that his friend was all right.

Three hours later, the six of them were celebrating in Samos' hut. After filling in the house, Jak had shown that Samos had trained him in Green Eco Therapy and was able to use enough to return his mobility and strength. Regaining his swordsmanship, however, would be a different matter. Skilled though he was, Jak was rusty from a month of not moving, and while practice helped prepare one for combat, real battle was always different than practice. Jak was happy when Bryan offered to train him using training swords. Keira was enjoying the party, but made a mental note to talk to Margaret. Though her friend laughed and joked along with everybody else, Keira knew her, and could tell that the Amplifier was hiding something.

"So, what we doin' tomorrow?" Daxter asked as they finally settled down.

"Well, we have to bury everyone, including Kristen and Mike," Keira said.

"And then we should really start planning our counter-attack on Gol," Margaret added.

"And let's not forget that we also have to liberate the forest," Bryan said. Keira, Margaret, Daxter and Jak looked at him questioningly.

"Lurkers started showing up there a few days ago, and we were planning on running them out. Now that we have you guys, it'll be easier than taking a nap." Lauren said.

The six of them agreed to go to sleep and discuss the details of the next few days in the morning.

* * *

"So, they plan to fight back…" Gol muttered to himself. His sister opened her yellow and black eyes and looked over at her sibling.

"Jak?"

"Yes. Apparently if they can open the Silos then the Dark Eco will return to it."

"What? But that was never in any of the legends we read about the Silos."

"Yes, but then again, we don't have a complete records of the Great War."

"True. So how do you know the plan on coming back," Maia asked.

"Well, it is common sense. We have Samos, which alone is a reason. No doubt they will want to free the other Sages as well. Benedict will no doubt want revenge, and then they will want revenge after he dies. And then the final part of the puzzle: my spy told us."

"Spy?"

"Surely, dear sister, you did not think that I would have that group go unobserved?"

"Well, you have so far…" Maia said.

"And the fact that I was unable to convert the Amplifier to the dark side of the heart was when I decided I needed a spy. After they got back to their village, my spy was planted and now nothing they do will take me by surprise."

"Well? Who is it?" Maia asked. "I want to know which pathetic life form _not_ to kill."

"Our spy is…" Gol said as he mentally communicated the answer into her mind. Maia's eyes widened in surprise, and then delight as she realized the possible implications of their useful infiltrator.

* * *

"We are here to honor those who gave their lives to protect this village," the priest of Sandover said. An old man, some described him as a bitter person but only Daxter knew the truth. When his wife had fallen ill, the priest had prayed to the Precursors daily for her to get better. After months of agony, his wife finally began to heal. The day after she was able to walk around, the Lurkers had invaded for the first time. Daxter knew that had he and Jak gotten to the village only a few minutes earlier, the two of them could have prevented this tragedy. Daxter knew that Jak had been strong enough to save the priest's wife, but Daxter didn't blame Jak in the least for not doing so. Not only did Jak have no idea that he could have saved the wife, but the two of them had gotten back to the village as fast as possible. There was nothing more they could have done.

"Among the fallen elves was the noble Steve, whose only living brother has requested that he be allowed to speak." At this time, the decrepit old man stepped down from the altar and gave the audience to Steve's brother. As the man began to speak, Jak could feel and hear the loss and devastation that he had been through. Out of the two of them, Steve had been younger, and Jak knew that the man speaking felt guilty that he was alive, when Steve had so much more to live for. The one thing that Jak thought might console the man was that he would not be unemployed. As there was still a large amount of work to be done on the shelter Jak had built, Robert would no doubt have his hands full as the best carpenter in the village.

Keira nudged Jak, who turned to look at her. He saw her yes beginning to fill with tears, and Jak placed his arm around her shoulder, still feeling slightly awkward and afraid he might do something improper. Keira leaned in on him, and Jak relaxed: apparently, putting his arm around her was the right thing to do. Jak pulled the girl trying not to sob closer to him in a hug and the two of them held each other close, each taking comfort in the other's presence.

"And now, we come to the final two who perished here today," the priest said. Jak and Keira jumped: had it really been so long? They looked up at the sky and saw the red moon beginning to rise and that settled it: they had been holding each other for five hours, yet it felt like only a few minutes.

"Kristen and Michael perished at the hands of a Lurker Warrior, but managed to kill it as well. The two of them were like children at times, and yet they both shouldered responsibility that many adults in the past have never had to bear. Keira Hagia, daughter of Samos the Sage of Green Eco, has asked to say a few words about them." Jak looked at Keira in surprise: she had never mentioned anything of the sort. She smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss before going up to the podium.

"Kristen and Michael perished at the hands of a Lurker Warrior, but managed to kill it as well. The two of them were like children at times, and yet they both shouldered responsibility that many adults in the past have never had to bear. Keira Hagia, daughter of Samos the Sage of Green Eco, has asked to say a few words about them." Jak looked at Keira in surprise: she had never mentioned anything of the sort. She smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss before going up to the podium.

"Kristen was my dear friend, and I shall always miss her. Although she was sometimes a little _over_enthusiastic about certain things, she was loyal and true to the very end. Mike was also faithful to us, and was known for being a prankster. Although Daxter finally gained my respect when he tricked Mike into walking into the field infested with Stingers." At this point a collective laugh went through the otherwise poignant gathering before her. Keira continued to talk, throwing in comedic stories about all of the deceased elves. Soon, everyone was getting up to say a story about someone that they knew. Keira stepped down and walked to the back as everyone else (including Daxter) walked up to say something.

Keira sat down next to Jak and looked at him, a little embarrassed about revealing the depth of her and Kristen's relationship. Jak smiled at her: he was sure Kristen had heard the lovely eulogy, and was pleased to know that her friends were not about to take her death lying down.

Twenty-four hours later, Jak's eyes were pointed towards the heavens, wondering why he was being tortured so. Sitting through this speech by Mayor Manic was torture. Long, complicated words, half of which even Keira looked as though she did not know what they meant (which made Jak doubt their credibility) were being spewed out as the Mayor spoke with the town council. They were trying to decide what to do about the black sun. Jak knew better- and so did the ones he traveled with- to tell the village, knowing that they would stupidly try to open the Silos by force. Jak gave a frustrated sigh and slouched in his seat, grateful no one would notice since he sat in the back. Keira slipped her hand into his and gave him a look of understanding. Jak was grateful that Keira understood the uselessness and pointlessness of this meeting. Every second they were waiting was a second they could be instead fighting Gol.

Jak looked back at Keira, grateful that she could read him so easily. He had struggled with himself for the past year to express himself around her.

It had not always been so. Jak knew that he had not always thought of Keira in the way he did now. When he was younger, she had been a girl, some_thing_ to avoid. He had respected her after he and Daxter had poured a bucket of mud over her head. Though she had been angry, she had not cried. On the contrary, she had laughed- right before punching him and Daxter in their faces. Jak still remembered the stunned looks in his and Daxter's face as they looked at each other right before Keira had stalked off. He had then viewed her with wariness, but not admiration or respect. Until, that is, that day he had seen her in her garage, her slightly chubby face frowning in a combination of frustration and concentration. She fiddled with another wire, and then her face lit up in glee as the lamp she had taken apart and was now rebuilding in a different design turned on. Jak had stood, shocked at the transition. He had only seen her pouting when she thought no one else was looking as she watched other children play at school, or glare at him and Daxter, a silent dare in her eyes for them to invoke her wrath once again.

Jak remembered the smile. At first, he thought that Keira had vanished, leaving a Precursor in her place. His next thought was how to get her to smile again. Finally, the thought occurred to him. He found a small amount of Blue Eco and pieced together a small version of what was now the Zoomer, using the Blue Eco to move the fans. When he had given it to her on her sixth birthday, Keira had squealed in delight and hugged him. From that moment, Keira, Jak and Daxter had become inseparable.

Yes, Jak thought, I loved her the, but then it was a way that was almost just like Daxter. I just wanted her to be happy, and I wanted her to be able to spend all her time with me. It was selfish almost, he mused to himself. Jak had never thought about her in any romantic sense, not even when he hit thirteen, the magic number as it was called in his village. Then, a month later when Keira turned twelve, she started avoiding him. At first Jak was angry at Daxter, thinking his friend had angered her somehow. Then, Samos had sat him down and explained how Keira was different from Jak physically.

"Funny," Jak thought as Keira nudged him and he straightened his stance in the chair, "I knew she was different from me, but I never knew what it meant." Even now, three years later, Jak blushed when he remembered Samos' lecture about how Keira's body was changing. Jak remembered the horror on Keira's face when her breasts started to develop, complaining about them and how the got in her way in almost every thing she did. Jak followed her loyally but red-faced as Samos went with her to shop for different bras. He had no idea why he was there, but Samos said that Jak might as well get used to it, though what exactly Samos was referring to was still a mystery to Jak.

Next had come the change in Daxter, who became obsessive about girls. Where they had used to spend their time playing on the beach, Daxter would now drag Jak around the village trying to ask girls out. All refused, but one had agreed on the condition that she go out with Jak afterwards. It was in that moment that Daxter had finally lost his cool with Jak and abandoned him, believing Jak to be stealing his spotlight. Only the intervention of Keira on his part had saved their friendship. Keira had said something along the effect of Jak not having hit that stage in life yet. Jak smiled again as he reflected when he had hit that point in his life.

He had woken up one morning just the same as every other day. But this time, he had began noticing girls. Oh, he had always seen them, but never before had he noticed them. He also realized that his body was changing. He was growing taller, and his shoulders were getting slightly wider. And he finally realized why Daxter kept staring at women's chests: there was an odd, sensual, alluring pull to the way that their breasts moved. Jak had stared, transfixed, at one girl before he realized that he was turning into Daxter, and from that moment on, he had vowed to not do that again. But the change was still there, and Jak found himself noticing Keira's body more often. The way her cream-colored skin looked after they went swimming, her cheeks pink, her eyes bright with exhilaration, and exhaustion. The way her lips stuck out when she pouted. The way her mouth would open and her cheeks would turn red when she blushed. After Jak had seen her blush once, he had always tried to get her to do it again. And especially the way her hips seemed to move when she walked. Always, Jak would notice, and always he rebuked himself when he realized he was doing it.

When did I start thinking about her romantically? Jak asked himself. Right before this whole mess, Jak remembered. That one night he had dreamed of her, her arms wrapping themselves around his chest as he pulled her close to him and kissed her. They would break apart for air occasionally, but they would then return to their fierce lip-lock with passion. Jak looked at Keira and smiled at her, happy that one of his dreams had come true at last. He heard his name mentioned and stood and walked up to the center as directed. He then endured a long speech about how he had returned and though had been unconscious was more than happy to serve the village once more. Jak noticed that all of this had seemingly been decided by him, and yet he had no memory of meeting with the town elders, respect though he showed them.

Jak looked with surprise as Keira got up and approached the podium. Only the fact that she was Samos' daughter allowed her to get up and task.

"Elves of Sandover! I know that this sun is causing problems. But as hard as it is, we must ignore them for now. Lurkers have been sighted in the village. It is thought that they are trying to sever the Eco flow to the village and so leave us defenseless. I ask what you think we should do. I propose that everyone that has an idea should be able to come up and state it." There was a literal stampede as nearly everyone tried to get up to the podium. Jak was surprised as Keira came down and grabbed his wrist.

"Why… did you… get… everyone… to go up to… the podium… and then… drag me… away?" Keira looked up with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "How else was I supposed to get you to myself?" Jak looked at the ground as he tried to figure out what she meant when Keira grabbed his shoulders and pulled him into her. Jak's mind vaguely wrapped itself around the fact that there was a shadow moving in the distance before it disengaged and he concentrated on only one thing: keeping contact with Keira. Once again, Jak's hands traveled up to Keira's head. One of them began stroking her hair while another was placed at the back of her neck and tilted her head back. Jak smiled to himself when Keira groaned softly as she ran her fingers through his hair again and pressed her body against his.

Keira pressed her body even closer to Jak's trying to eliminate any distance they might have in-between them. She felt his body stiffen all of a sudden and she backed off slightly and looked up at him. Jak's eyes were narrowed and he seemed to be staring at a spot on the ground slightly behind her. Suddenly he threw her away form him and spun around. A Lurker Ape gasped as Jak tightened his grip on its throat. Keira looked up at him and saw something in his eyes that she had never seen before. Along with the anger that she expected, Keira saw a glint in her eyes that she had seen before, but couldn't quite place.

Jak bared his teeth as he crushed the windpipe of the Lurker, enraged that it would dare to attack Keira. As the Lurker gasped in pain, Jak blinked his eyes and wondered what he was doing. He looked at the Lurker and brought it up to his body before snapping its neck, giving it a painless death. He turned around and helped Keira before closing his eyes and shaking his head.

"Jak. We should go to the house now," she whispered. Jak looked down at her and nodded, still confused at the anger that had flared so unexpectedly in him.

* * *

"So Gol. How goes the poison on Jak's mind," Maia asked as they stared over Weyard. The blood red light distorted the normally tranquil and beautiful planet, and Maia reveled in the fact that she was responsible for doing this to the planet.

"Good. He seems to be quick to anger, but has excellent control. I will wear down on that control, and eventually he will be a slave to emotions. And when that happens…" Gol looked at his sister.

"He will be easy to seduce, and then he will serve us," she said joyously.

* * *

"Tighten the ropes! Hoist anchor and set sail," the girl barked at her crew. The men under her command hastened to do as they were told, lest they invite their captain's wrath. Though she was a kind person, she could be quite harsh on the crew when they deserved it.

"Captain. We shall arrive at the village at sunrise tomorrow," her first mate said to her as he walked up to her. A man of twenty-two, his odd yellow eyes usually made one predisposed to mistrust him. Ironically, though he was a pirate, the captain saw an honor code in him that was matched only by the one that she abided to: her personal one. The first mate looked up at her, his brown, collar length hair blowing in the wind as the ship left port. He was dressed in his own clothes, as was first mate's privilege. His black leather vest, white shirt, long leather gloves and brown leather pants had been personally requested, and because the Queen (not to mention the captain herself) held him in such high regard, they allowed him to wear clothes that would normally identify him as a commoner. The bowie knife strapped to his right hip was sheathed, as it usually was. The only time the quick witted first mate drew it was when he failed to infiltrate an area using his master of disguise and languages- something that had only occurred once. The captain nodded to him and he went to oversee the crew to make sure they reached the island- Sandover, the captain had called it- by sunup.

Cara tossed her braided hair back. It was a combination of both her mother's and father's, causing it to be streaks of varying shades of red. The moonlight shone down on her exposed arms, lighting up the blue designs on her and causing them to appear purple. Her light blue pants, green tee shirt and leather straps on the shoulders and below the knees marked her for what she was: captain of the sleekest and fastest ship in her island's fleet.

"Get ready!" she shouted. "Remember you orders! Take what you want from the village but no casualties. And remember, the two elves must be taken _alive_!" Cara emphasized the final word. Her crew tended to get carried away occasionally and sometimes overran towns like animals. Cara rolled her eyes in revulsion as memories of their last escapade ran through her mind. Though they were pirates, she always tried to keep death to a minimum.

The wind blew with the ship, propelling it faster towards the unsuspecting town, and, anxious though she was about the upcoming task, Cara closed her eyes and smiled as she let the wind run through her hair- it was the part about going out to sea she loved the most.

* * *

Ah, I am finally confident that I have no mistakes. For once. Sorry that I didn't update last week: I had a gastro-intestinal virus (that's a mouthful, eh?) that caused some rather… nasty side effects. And I apologize in the length of it- I'm still a little run down. Fortunately, I'll be back to normal by next week. Although if that is anything to be happy about remains to be seen. Well, one or two new characters are revealed, and it should be easy for the person I contacted to spot herself. Let me know what you think of the new plot development, as well as any comments or ideas that you might have. Next week will arrive with a couple of battles along with a nice little revelation. And I apologize for the crappy scenes with Keira and Jak.

* * *

My Favorite Authors (They are listed alphabetically, not by preference.)

1. Amathist Fwirrel

2. animedragongirl

3. Keeroshu

4. Light-Eco-Sage

5. Red Mage 04

6. Silver-WindScar

* * *

Quote of the week- Me

Me: Rule #4 of Life- Whenever you think you have hit rock bottom, Life has a way of throwing you a shovel.


	36. Gol Exposed

As usual, here are the responses to the reviews you all so kindly gave me, in case there was an emailing error and you did not receive them.

* * *

Keeroshu- Glad I did a good job with Cara: was nervous I wouldn't make he personality to your liking, which is why I never ventured into her past. Yup, I put ion a few more plot twists, and I don't think you will be able to guess who the spy is. Sorry that my rule of life applied to your day, and I hope that my chapter brightened it up slightly.

SilverEyes18- Thanks for the compliment. I appreciate you taking the time out your day to reads this. Thank GoodMorningBeautiful2005 for me for recommending this, and I'm glad that you found it pleasing. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with your standards and continue to please.

Silver-WindScar- No matter what people say, Rule #4 is true. Glad you liked it. Thanks for the compliment on the chapter. Well, Gol isn't so much as IN Jak's head as that he is much more in tune with it. For example, he used to have to concentrate really hard to read Jak's mind or get a sense of his emotions if he wasn't very close, but since he nearly possessed Jak, he has easier access to Jak's thoughts and feelings. Jak can shut him out of he wants, but the dangerous part is that he doesn't know that Gol has this trick. Congrats on Chapter 3, and I hope that chapter 4 is even half as good.

CrazyOttsel- Sorry to hear you got, "The Plague." Sorry the love scene was off: I'll try to fix them up. Glad you like the suspense, so I'll try to put in a little more at the end of the chapter.

animedragongirl- Ack. Thanks for pointing out that the scene with the priest and Daxter seemed out of place. I was trying to show that while Daxter is a pain in the rear end, he is knowledgeable about things other than alcohol and the female anatomy. (Sigh) Obviously I failed. Hopefully the next chapter will contain no mistakes, since I hate making them as much as you hate reading them.

P.S: I hate geometry too :P.

Red Mage 04- Yes, Gravis is now dead. Wow, what a freaking tragedy. I do have an inquiry: did it seem unnatural that Sett was, you know, okay with Gravis at the end. Yup, Gol is once again making a mistake, one that will backfire on him as you skillfully predicted and will cause him no end of suffering. Thank you once again for the fight scene compliment, and don't worry: things have been hectic over here too. I'm going to have to type the entire chapter up on Saturday and Sunday, so I'm a little apprehensive as to what the already mediocre quality will be reduced to.

Disclaimer- I don't own Jak and Daxter… (wishes I did)

* * *

Gol Exposed

"Steady the ship you dogs!" Cara shouted as the ship she was in rocked. Her crew hastened to obey her commands, each fearing to be the one that would receive the lash of her tongue if they did not obey. As the ship steadied out, Cara gazed with a certain pride and satisfaction on her crew. True, they often got carried away and were clumsy, but they were good men, and good sailors. None of them grumbled about taking orders from a woman, and all of them obeyed her orders to the letter as quickly as physically able. The only time they ever did anything stupid was when they consumed alcohol; despite being sailors, none of her sailors could "hold their liquor." Cara would have liked to show them a little more affection, but she would not risk exposing herself to another. Not again. Not after what happened to her the last time she opened her heart fully to someone.

"Captain, we're comin' up on the village," her first mate said as he stood in salute.

"Good Veston," Cara said, nodding at him. Veston inclined his head and began to walk over to the crew to assist in docking the ship. "Veston. Come back here," Cara called. Her first mate turned around and returned as instructed. "Pass on the appearances of the elves we are aiming for and remind them not to kill any one."

"Er, Captain?" Veston said hesitantly.

"Yes?" Cara sighed: she had been up for three nights now and it was finally starting to show on her.

"What are the profiles of the elves we are attempting to abduct?"

"We are trying to capture a girl named Lauren and a boy named Bryan. Lauren is fourteen years old. She has blond hair that goes down to her lower back, blue-green eyes, and usually wears black pants, dark blue shirt and a metal claw with a crystal earrings and necklace. Bryan is seventeen years old, and has short spiky blondish-brown hair. He has blue eyes and a tattoo on his right shoulder of a Lurker Scorpion." Veston nodded and went to relay the messages as instructed.

Cara sighed and gazed ahead at the unsuspecting town they were rapidly approaching. Though she was only seventeen, Cara felt much older. She had seen more death and horrors in her life than most warriors of the "ground lovers," as they were called by the people of her village. Cara closed her eyes and tried to forget the wound in her heart that was still so fresh. Images of the man she had once loved came to her vision, covered in blood and still holding his sword. She opened her eyes and shook her head. She was unable to let go of her fiancée's death for a very simple reason: no one in her village had ever seen anything like it before. He had been found mangled and bloodied as though attacked by an animal. Burn marks and scars riddled his body, and they first three that had attempted to move him had been shocked with odd purple electricity that had destroyed their ability to move their hands. Cara knew that her fiancée's death was somehow connected to her mother's sudden illness, for not two days had passed after her soon-to-be-husband's death when her mother had taken ill. It had started with the paling of her skin. Eventually, her mother had been unable to move. Finally, the sinister disease had dealt its final blow: her mother was unconscious and, unless she woke up soon, would die of malnutrition.

As the ship approached the dock in Sandover, Cara went down and helped her men bring it in. Though she was captain, and therefore not required to subject herself to such menial tasks, she always worked as hard as her men, outperforming some of them. However, that was one of the reasons that her mother had been having such a hard time getting her another husband. Though marriages were arranged on her island, Cara trusted her mother's judgment, for the last person she had suggested (not forced) to Cara had captured her heart. Sadly, he was in the minority. As was traditional, women were not exactly subservient to men, but the man would always have the ultimate say, at least publicly. Cara refused to submit to any man, and many males found her determination, not to mention her physical strength in itself, rather deterring.

As her thoughts turned to her mother, Cara's body worked on its own: she had docked her ship so many times that she no longer needed to pay attention mentally to do it anymore. Cara worried about the political stability of her home. Physical strength was very appealing to the people in a leader. With her mother incapacitated and the rise of the new candidate, Nicolae, Cara wondered if the people might not rise up and force the man on the throne. Though he claimed to be a pacifist and a man of peace, Cara saw something in his eyes that she neither liked nor trusted. They were full of deceit and, whenever Cara caught him looking at her, shameless lust. The worst part was that he had already asked for her hand in marriage and, though Cara absolutely refused, it was quite within her mother's power to force a wedding. Normally, Cara would not have had to worry, but Nicolae seemed to have charmed his way into her mother's heart and had been able o get a few favors before her sudden lay up. One rule was the law saying that outsiders that were deemed a threat could be killed without warning, spoken like a true pacifist, Cara commented to herself.

Silently, the pirates began to climb off the ship and approach the town, nearly invisible due to the setting of the moon and the not yet risen sun.

* * *

Jak tossed and turned in his bed, unable to sleep. He body ached as he sat up, covered in sweat from the agonizing heat. He tossed the covers off, making sure they went to the left, since Daxter's bed was on the right of his and Jak had no wish to wake his friend up. Jak remained lying down, letting the cool autumn air cooled his body off slightly. Jak closed his eyes and Keira's smiling face appeared, tormenting him. Jak knew that it was no good denying it any longer: he missed Keira. Not only her voice and presence, though he missed those terribly, Jak missed her physical touch. Whenever he held her, or whenever she leaned on him, a burst of pride and delight swept through his body. Now that he was separated from her at night for the first time since their kiss, Jak felt his desire escalate to a need.

Jak stood up and paced the room, trying to calm himself down. After a minute or so, Jak decided that some fresh air might do him some good. Jak stepped outside and sat down with his legs crossed. He closed his eyes and tried to picture his surroundings. Samos had taught him this type of meditation and now Jak was truly thankful he had paid attention. His heart slowed and his breathing steadied as Jak focused on the silence of the night, broken only very occasionally by the occasional chirp of a bird or cricket. Jak opened his eyes, which were now calm and sedated. As he got up and headed back inside to go to sleep, a shadow caught his eyes. Jak squinted over at the edge of town, where a rather large ship was docked. Though he could not be completely sure, Jak swore he saw people coming off of it. He pulled his goggles down and zoomed in on the scene. Sure enough, Jak saw a good twenty or thirty people approaching the village, metal weapons gleaming in the failing light.

Jak thought of attacking them and defending the village, but practicality told him to alert the villagers. The more people that knew about the threat, the easier it would be to defeat it. Jak climbed the small mountain sticking out of the ocean and strained to ring the bell. Cursing himself for forgetting to charge up his Blue Eco Box, Jak wondered whose bright idea it was to put the bell that would signal the village at the top of a thirty foot rock surrounded by ocean. At last Jak's hand found the rope and he pulled…

Only to have it come off in his arm. Jak stared at the rope in disbelief for a second before an idea formed in his head. Jak wrapped the rope around his hand and began pounding on the bell with his hand. A small sound began, but it gradually increased in volume as Jak continued hitting the bell. As lights went on and people came out of their huts, Jak continued ringing the gong, hitting it even harder to awaken the people faster. All of a sudden, pain erupted in the middle of his back. The entire left side of Jak's body instantly went limp as he lost his grip on the rock and fell towards the ocean. Jak reached into his back and felt a hard metal object sticking out. He grabbed it and hissed in pain as a chunk of his flesh was literally torn out. Jak impacted the rock and began rolling towards the ocean. He tried to stop, but to no avail: his entire body was paralyzed for some reason. Blood pored freely from the wound in his back and Jak felt dizzy even as he hit the ice cold water. He looked up at the sky as his vision darkened from sinking. Water flooded his lungs as Jak tried to breath. A feeling surged back into his right arm and Jak clutched at a piece of rock. As the salt water stung the open wound in his back, Jak began heaving himself up the side of the mountain face.

* * *

"Veston! Why did you kill him?" Cara hissed. She had given all her men instructions not to kill anyone and Veston, her first mate and her most obedient sailor, had been the first to disobey her.

"Because Captain, as it is we'll have a hard time finding the targets. Moreover, trust me, that elf was a fighter. He would have caused us some trouble had he been allowed to live. Plus, didn't Gol say that if we were to come across a green and yellow haired elf that we could and should kill him?" Cara nodded, seeing the pieces fall into place. "Well, before I threw the knife, I caught a glimpse of yellow hair with green roots."

"Okay. Sorry for being a bit short with you," Cara said, her cheeks flushing almost imperceptibly at having to apologize.

"It's okay Captain. I'd've reacted the same way if it'd been me."

"Right. Men, lets get what we came for!" Cara shouted to the score and a half of men awaiting her command to attack. Roars met this announcement and the pirates overran the village. Cara and Veston split up while the men broke into houses for treasure and looking for the two elves they had come for. Cara headed for the large hut in the distance, thinking she might be able to find the mayor there and hold him for ransom. Veston, on the other hand, was lurking in the shadows and listening to people talk. While they spoke the same language and dialect as the people from the fishing village, Veston's accurate hearing noticed a slight accent change. He committed it to memory in case he ever needed to come back to this village. Highly unlikely, but it was always a possibility.

Veston moved on to searching through houses after hearing everything he needed. The only significant changes were aunt and pajamas. Veston's people said, "Aunt," so it rhymed with, "want," and pronounced the second syllable in pajamas so it rhymed with, "job." These people of Sandover rhymed, "aunt," like "ant," and rhymed "pajamas," with "jam."

The first four houses Veston rummaged around in produced nothing. He went outside and was pleased to see that the men had not gotten carried away. Though he saw many unconscious villagers, Veston had seen enough injuries in his twenty-two years to be assured that none of them was fatal.

"What exactly are we lookin' for again?" one of the men asked as he dragged a clay pot out of the Sculptor's house. Another man sighed as a third and fourth pirate re-explained the nature of the two elves. "Do you guys mean them two?" the man asked, pointing to a pair of teenagers. The half a dozen pirates looked up and saw that the profiles of the two elves matched the ones of Bryan and Lauren.

"Yup," one of them shouted as he ran at the couple. Bryan turned around and drew his katana for what felt like the thousandth time that night. So far, all he had encountered was single opponents who were easy enough to knock out with a quick hit to the back of the head.

The six men ran for the outnumbered elves when suddenly a wall of fire blocked their path. They looked around for the source and saw an elf about five and a half feet tall with yellow hair sticking straight up. The roots were a forest green, while his eyes shined a deep ocean blue. One hand was extended, fire flowing from it, while another was on a small red box on his belt.

"Jak!" Bryan and Lauren shouted at the same time. Jak stopped his attack and leapt into the air, using Blue Eco to cover the distance quickly. The pirates rushed towards Jak, believing that no elf could hold off half a dozen pirates, even if he could create fire. Little did they know that Jak had faced much worse odds than a mere half dozen. He motioned for Bryan and Lauren to leave and the two elves shook their heads. Jak stretched out using his Blue Eco Powers and sent them flying back to the village. He used the zoom function on his goggles to ensure that the two landed on the pile of Yakow leather. After being satisfied that he had not harmed his friends, Jak turned back to the pirates, who by this time had reached him, furious that he had been instrumental in allowing their prey to elude them. One of them drew his sword and swung down at Jak's head.

Needless to say, said elf was shocked when what appeared to be a sword made of Yellow Eco appeared above Jak and melted his blade. He looked in disbelief at Jak for a split second before Jak delivered a spinning back kick to the man's chest. Jak was impressed when the man got back up: Jak had not only hit him in the solerplexis, but had put enough force behind that kick to break a couple of ribs. These men might be trying to kidnap his friends, but Jak certainly had to give them credit. Not only were they physically strong and durable, but Jak had watched them carefully avoid causing any casualties. As the others drew their swords and advanced, Jak saw that they did not intend to be so courteous to him. He summoned another Eco Blade and quickly cut the razor sharp metal weapons coming at him. As they progressed towards him, this time armed with nothing more than fists, Jak leapt into the air and sent waves of weakened Yellow Eco at them. While normally such an attack would separate certain limbs from the body, all it did was cause some deep cuts. The pirates fell to the ground in pain as their muscles were cut and Jak quickly struck them all on the back of their skulls, causing them to be knocked out. He began to leave before he saw just how freely the wounds were bleeding. He wrestled with himself over the idea of healing and felt disgusted when he realized a small part of him wanted to leave these men here to die a horrible death. He shook his head and the sinister voice seemed to stop whispering in his ear. He extended his hand and a small blast of Green Eco surged forth, sealing the wounds and returning some of the color to the pirates' faces. Jak hurried off to find Keira: for all he knew, the pirates might be looking for her as well.

* * *

"Damn that Jak!" Bryan growled under his breath. He said nothing to Lauren, but the two of them were both more than a little angry that Jak had blasted them away to put them out of danger.

"I know what you mean," Lauren grumbled. "It's as though he thinks we can't take care of ourselves." Neither of them noticed a figure creeping up on them.

"It's not so much that he doesn't think you can't take care of yourselves," the man said. Bryan and Lauren whipped around, only to be tied up with fishing wire. Veston bent down to pick the two up. "He knows it was _you_ we were looking for." Bryan and Lauren's eyes widened in confusion before Veston hit them on the back of their heads, causing their worlds to go dark.

"Captain, I have the targets," Veston said proudly as he deposited the heavy load in front of Cara. "Shall we give the retreat signal?"

"No need. I gave it already when I saw you capture the two. Six of our men were injured seriously, but it's the oddest thing. It's as though someone attacked them and then healed them. I've never heard if such a thing," Cara said as she shook her head. Veston nodded in agreement. The two watched their men separate the ship from the dock and take off for their homeland. "That scum better pay us," Cara muttered under her breath when she remembered what she'd had to do to get permission to go on this journey. She would have gone anyway, but it would help her mother's workload if she didn't discover when she woke up that her daughter was a law-breaker.

* * *

"Jak!" Keira shouted amidst the chaos. Jak spotted her with Daxter on her shoulder and made his way through the throng. He embraced her when he reached her, but broke off when he heard Daxter whistle suggestively. He looked at his mutated friend and blushed slightly: he was still a little embarrassed when he was with Keira and Daxter was around. He looked down at Keira and received a shock. Tears were flooding her eyes and she was grabbing him as hard as she could. Jak felt his arm go numb as her fingernails dug into his skin. "They've taken Bryan and Lauren!" she sobbed. Jak swore mentally: even after he had tried to get them away, one of those blasted pirates had still managed to get them. "What are we gonna do?" Keira asked as she tried to calm down. Jak held her close to him to try to calm the nearly hysterical girl, but he honestly had no idea what to do.

"We're gonna go after them, aren't we?" Daxter asked. Keira stopped crying and looked over at him.

"And how to you propose we do that?" she snapped.

Daxter, who normally flinched or ran away of Keira looked at him or talked to him that way, merely looked her in the face and said, quite quietly, "The _Apprehender_. Ollie started building it when we left. It's a faster ship than his fishing boat, and it's bigger too. I'm sure he'll loan it to us. And if he doesn't, well, let's just say I happened to find a pair of keys." Daxter said as he procured a key from seemingly nowhere. Jak looked at his friend before grabbing him and kissing him. "ACK! Jak! Ew man," Daxter said as he gasped and sputtered. Jak grinned at him. "Next time you want to display affection, get a girl to do it for you," Daxter said as he gagged. Keira grabbed him from Jak and gave the rat a bone crushing hug. Daxter began squirming in protest before realizing where he was. He smirked and allowed Keira to continue hugging him. Jak noticed the smirk and tapped Keira on the shoulder. She looked at him and he pointed down at Daxter. After figuring out what the perverted rat was doing, Keira began hugging him tighter.

"Hey, Keira. I can't breathe," Daxter gasped as his spine began to bend uncomfortably backwards. Keira dropped him on the floor and Jak picked him up.

"Perv," Keira muttered as she walked off. Daxter flashed a cheeky grin at Jak, who rolled his eyes and walked after Keira.

"Sheesh, looks like no one around here can take a joke," Daxter muttered to himself.

Jak put the keys in the ignition and deposited thirty Power Cells into the engine upon reaching The _Apprehender_. As the motor started up, Jak saw Margaret running towards them.

"Hey guys, were you just gonna leave without me?" Margaret called. Keira appeared by the window and waved.

"Hey Mar! No, we don't want to, but we're gonna go get Bryan and Lauren back. We need you to stay here in case Gol attacks," Keira shouted back. Margaret's shoulders slumped in disappointment, but she nodded and started back to the shelter in Sandover.

No one noticed the small creature climbing aboard the ship in a cloak.

* * *

"Why?" Lauren whispered in the dank room.

"Hm?" Bryan said as he gave up looking through the window.

"Why is everyone after us?" Lauren asked. "First the Lurker tried to kidnap us, and now this. If I didn't know better, I'd say Gol is trying to get us."

"I know what you mean, but I don't know why, unless we're being used as ransom."

"That's probably it. But what I don't get is why-" Lauren was cut off by the door being smashed open. The foul smell of alcohol reached Bryan's nostrils as he stood up. Three burly men stumbled in with tankards of ale. Two went up to Bryan and offered, but Bryan politely declined. If the crew got drunk enough, he and Lauren might be able to get away. The third one sat down next to Lauren.

"Hey baby," he slurred, swaying slightly. Lauren looked at him, trying not to throw up from the overbearing smell. "How 'bout a little kiss," he said as he bent forward. Lauren screamed when she felt his hand on her chest. Bryan looked over at her and immediately stood up, fully intending to cut the throat of the man advancing on Lauren. Two powerful arms pinned his behind his back as one of the men behind him grabbed him. The other one stumbled over to Lauren and held her while his partner resumed groping her.

Bryan saw red fill his vision as one of the men ripped her shirt off, leaving her in only a tank top. He brought his head forward before smashing it back. The man behind him discovered what it would feel like to be hit in the face with a thirteen pound bowling ball as he released Bryan. Bryan landed on the floor and drew his katana. He threw it at the man bent on ripping the tank top and Lauren screamed when blood covered her body as the blade pierced her would-be rapist's heart. Bryan dashed forward and the oaf holding Lauren had barely released her when the razor-sharp sword cut through his neck and decapitated him. Bryan turned back towards the remaining pirate and saw the man draw his sword. The drunken man made a sloppy move and Bryan hacked his arm off before disposing of him much in the same way that he had the previous one.

Bryan sheathed his blood covered sword and turned to face Lauren. He discovered upon inspection that other than fainting, she seemed unharmed. Five more men burst into the room and, upon seeing the carnage, roared and ran at Bryan. The adolescent drew his sword again and adopted a defensive stance.

"STOP!" A sharp female voice roared. The men stopped instantly. Bryan was so shocked at their obedience that he, too, stopped his attack. Cara walked into the room, a sword drawn. "You," she barked at her men, "upstairs. Now!" The men scrambled for the broken door, fighting each other to get out first.

"And you," Cara said as she turned around. "I am sorry. Some of my men forget their vow to be honorable. I believe that those three," she said as she pointed to the three corpses, "got exactly what they deserved. I have a shower in my room. I would like it if you two came with me and cleaned yourselves up." Bryan was slightly taken aback at the kindness coming from the harsh captain.

* * *

"Jak, please calm down," Keira said as she watched Jak walk back and forth for the umpteenth time. She was sure that if he kept this up he would begin to sink into a depression caused by his marching. He appeared not to hear her and so Keira got up from the bench she was sitting in and grabbed him by the shoulder. He spun around and relaxed at seeing who it was. He sighed and looked to the sea. Keira gazed with him, watching the ship they were chasing slowly get larger. Jak looked at Keira and shyly held her hand. Keira giggled to herself: the boy she loved could be so passionate at some times and so very shy the next. Keira looked up at him and they stared into each other's eyes. Jak began writing in her hand once again.

"I'm sorry," Keira said out loud. She looked up at him.

"What do you have to be sorry about?"

"I sent… Bryan and… Lauren… away and into… the hands… of the enemy." Keira looked up at him and shook her head.

"You dork. You didn't know that a pirate would be there."

"But it's my… fault. I… don't get why… you are… sticking… with me."

"Because Jak. I'm your friend," Keira said, looking him right in the eyes.

"You still… like me?"

"Of course," Keira said as she kissed him lightly on the cheek. "And I always have," she continued, kissing his other cheek. "And I always will," she said as she gave him a quick peck on the nose. "No matter what," she said as she finished by kissing him on the lips. Jak pulled her closer to him gently as Keira wrapped her arms around her.

Keira smiled to herself as Jak pulled her closer to him. His body seemed to cover hers while never being intrusive. Keira removed her lips from his and leaned against his chest as Jak rocked back and forth slightly.

The two teenagers continued to draw stability and strength from each other, grateful that they were allowed to have each other in times of crisis.

* * *

"So, Cara is it?" Bryan asked as he laid Lauren down on the bed. After showering, he had run her under water to get the blood out of her hair. "Why did you stop your men from attacking."

"You did not deserve to be killed, nor your girlfriend raped."

"What?"

"I believe in honor. And honesty. And in looking out for others as well as one's self."

"Then release us," Bryan protested.

"I cannot do that. I have to bring you to my village where I will give you to someone."

"Who?" Bryan asked, thinking that he saw where this was going.

"Some man named Gol Akaron."

"GOL! YOU'RE WORKING WITH HIM?" Bryan roared as he drew his sword. In an instant Cara had drawn hers and kicked Bryan in the chest. As he bent over, she struck the back of his head and knocked him out.

"So. He has business with Gol does he?" Cara mused to herself as three pirates entered. "Lock them away. And if I see or hear that they are disturbed, you will all pay for it, and not in gold." Cara growled menacingly.

* * *

"Be careful Jak," Keira whispered as Jak began climbing up the side of the pirate ship. He looked down at her and gave her a thumbs up before extending his hand. Keira grabbed it and Jak hoisted her off the _Apprehender_ and onto the pirate ship. The two of them got onto the deck and looked around for any clue that might lead them to the whereabouts of Bryan and Lauren.

Jak shoved Keira to the side as a knife landed exactly where her foot would have been had she continued walking. He gestured for her to go looking for Bryan and Lauren and the knife thrower landed and bolted towards her. Jak erected a firewall and cut off the man's route. As his hood was thrown back, Veston recognized Jak as the one whom he had hit in the back with a knife.

"You," he stammered, for once at a loss of words. Jak looked at him curiously. "I… killed you," Veston said disbelievingly.

"Yeah well, you didn't do a good enough job!" Daxter said as he looked at the pirate. Jak understood: it was this man that had hit him in the back with a knife before as he was sounding the alarm. Jak summoned a Yellow Eco Blade and adopted an offensive stance. Veston looked slightly surprised, but not scared. Jak noticed this and instantly changed to a defensive posture. Veston smirked as two beams of light shot out of his hands, one yellow and one red. Jak's eyes widened: he had met another Channeler. The two of them circled each other, knowing that one slip-up could resolve in the loss of a limb.

Jak watched Veston tense up and he leapt at the same time as the Blade Channeler. He blocked an incoming strike as his opponent spun around and attacked with his back turned. Jak tried to end the fight with a blow to the head but Veston apparently knew it was coming, as the red Blade blocking Jak's strike testified. Veston crossed his arms as he lashed out yet again at Jak and was surprised at the speed with which the Channeler blocked and countered. Jak ducked and back flipped as Veston spun around and made a double strike at the same time. He rushed back in with an overhead chop and the two of them swung their Blades so fast that afterimages were left behind, making it harder to tell the difference between Jak's Yellow Eco Blade and Veston's.

Veston rushed in with another double strike and Jak jumped over him. Veston followed Jak with his eye and rushed in. Jak did a split in the air to keep his legs and punched Veston as he landed. As he staggered back, Veston held out his Red Eco Blade and a blast of flames came out the end. Jak dodged to the side, watching the flames as they went past. Veston turned both of his swords off, put his hands into palm heels, and inverted them so the palms were facing up. He rushed in and brought his hands into his own chest. He reached Jak and struck, slamming the dark Channeler in the ribs, and probably breaking a few of them in the process. Jak slammed backwards into the mast and dented it slightly. Veston re-summoned his Eco Blades and began walking slowly towards Jak, his hair and clothes blowing around in the wind.

Jak got to his feet and continued fighting to buy Keira as much time as he could. Veston stopped his assault as he watched Jak back off and shot a beam of Yellow Eco out of his Blade. Jak dodged to the side, his face turning to watch the blast. Veston went rushing in, eager to take advantage of his opponent's apparent weakness and received a swift kick to the chest. Jak knocked away both Veston's Blades with one strike and a slash, but Veston simply jumped over Jak with a flip and some twirls. Veston landed in a combat stance and ran in, holding his Yellow Eco Blade knife-style. He charged and attempted to sheer Jak in half with the yellow Blade, but did not succeed. As he ran past Jak he swung the Red Eco Blade backwards and glared at nothing in particular when he felt it stop. He continued spinning and swinging, giving himself a dradle-like appearance. Jak blocked the incoming strikes that were varied in height and once or twice had to jump or duck to avoid being cut in half. As the strikes became faster, Jak knew he wouldn't be able to block fast enough and he started to back-peddle. It was a move that would prove to be a mistake.

Veston stopped spinning and jumped forward, planting both his feet into Jak's chest. As Veston ran forward to repeat the move, Jak suspended him in the air with Blue Eco and threw him into a wall. Veston struggled to his feet and Jak slammed him into the ground harder. Jak raised his sword over Veston's neck as the urge to kill once again came over him. Jak called back his sword as he lowered it, once again horrified at how close he had come to taking an elf's life. It had been harder to stop the impulse to kill his opponent.

"Jak! I found them," Keira shouted as Bryan and Lauren emerged. As the four quickly tried to get off the boat, a sword was thrown into the deck. Jak turned around, saw a girl with green eyes, and braided red hair marching towards them.

"I cannot let you take them. I need those two," Cara said as she drew a sword. Jak threw a Yellow Eco scythe at the sword, intending to cut through it and discourage the captain, but the scythe stopped in midair a few inches away from the girl. Cara narrowed her eyes slightly and Jak ducked as his own scythe was sent hurtling back at him.

"You… you're a Channeler!" Keira gasped in surprise.

"Of course. My mother was the most powerful Coordinating Channeler in the history of Brigand's Bastion. As her daughter, I inherited the gift." Jak summoned an Eco Blade and began to advance, but Cara raised her hand and the Eco constructing Jak's weapon harmlessly dispersed. Jak realized that he would have to go up against Cara with a sword unarmed. He adopted a defensive stance and waited for the Coordinator to make a move. As the captain rushed in, Keira stepped between the two.

"Wait! There has to be another way to solve this," she pleaded.

"I'm sorry, but I need Bryan and Lauren." Cara said.

"But why?" Lauren shouted, tired of not understanding what was going on.

"Gol has promised to heal my mother," Cara said quietly. Jak looked at her, the pieces finally falling into place. Gol had poisoned her mother and then promised the cure (most likely death) in return for Cara doing Gol's dirty work. Keira walked over to the distressed girl and sat down. Cara followed and listened to the tale of what Gol had done.

"By the Precursors…" Cara whispered when the group had finished their tale. "I let him trick me," she said in disbelief. Keira patted her on the shoulder consolingly and Cara stood up. "We will return to my island with Bryan and Lauren in tow." Jak got up at these words, but stopped when he heard Cara's next words. "I'm gonna give Gol exactly what he deserves. Here's the plan. You guys hide and I'll pretend to present him Lauren and Bryan all tied up. Then we take him by surprise and kick his sorry ass from here back to the Silos." Jak grinned as he punched one hand with his fist, eager to punish Gol for all he had done.

* * *

"So, they are going to ambush me," Gol muttered.

"What is it brother?" Maia asked, pausing in her meditation.

"Cara and the others are laying a trap for me at Brigand's Bastion. Well, I'm afraid that they will have a rather nasty surprise when they arrive…" Gol said with a sinister chuckle.

* * *

"There's my island," Cara said proudly. Everyone's gasp caused a sinking feeling to enter her heart. She turned around and gasped in horror at the horrible scene that lay before her eyes…

* * *

Hey. I just couldn't resist throwing in one cliffhanger, although I'm sure all of you can guess what happened. Hope this is good. I had only two days to do it, so please don't berate me for the quality. Unless I sincerely deserve it. And I also apologize for updating so late at night, since the majority of my day was spent going to my grandparents' house, and then my great aunts' house and then _my_ house and tunnel a path through the snow. Depending on where you live, hope you enjoy the blizzard. I know I am. NO SCHOOL! If you didn't get it, I hope the weather is to your liking. Thanks again for reading this horrible drek, and I thank everyone for their generous reviews. See you all next week.

* * *

My Favorite Authors (They are listed alphabetically, not by preference.)

1. Amathist Fwirrel

2. animedragongirl

3. Keeroshu

4. Light-Eco-Sage

5. Red Mage 04

6. Silver-WindScar

* * *

Quote of the week- Me

Me: Rule #5 of Life: When Life hands you a shove, don't do three things. First, do not dig any deeper. Second, don't dig a hole for anyone else. And thirdly, if you see someone else in as hole, help them out. Even if it means digging towards them a little bit.


	37. Articulo Mortis

As usual, here are the responses to the reviews you all so kindly gave me; in case there was an emailing error and you did not receive them.

* * *

Silver-WindScar- Thank you for the compliment on the chapter and the rule of life. I did make it slightly confusing, but yes. Gol is indeed able to read Jak's mind. Before, he used to have to concentrate to be able to pick up Jak's thoughts unless he was in close range. Now he can pick up whatever Jak feels whenever he wants. Do not worry, I have a way to flip it around and use the mind link against Gol, even though Gol can shield his mind from detection. So until Jak finds out about the link, he is vulnerable and so is everyone else around him. In addition, he cannot be taken by surprise. 

GoodMorningBeautiful2005- Hey. I respect your laziness, because I am lazy as well. Jak was never poisoned, so I believe you mean Benedict. He was the one with the seed and took it out, so he was set to die in three days two days ago. Meaning tomorrow, since I'm bad at describing the things. He knows he is going to die, so I'll have to try to make that a touchy scene and I'm really bad at that. He will have a final fight, and I hope I can make it good. Dark Angel and Forever and Always. I'll be sure to check that out.

Keeroshu- Nope, Jak can't talk, and I actually plan to fix that problem in Renegade. Yes, I had a blizzard, which is apparently only a foot of snow. Got a free snow day, so I wasn't complaining. I liked Maine, but I went during a heat wave, so I didn't enjoy being outside unless I was submerged. I did think that Cara might go too fast, but this is how I see it. You don't have to agree, I'm just stating it. First, you (and I mean you in the story) neither likes nor trusts Gol. She was reluctant to do what he said, and trusts Jak because she can sense that he has pure intentions. She was supposed to kill Jak, but again, she was reluctant to once she met him. Even if I had to, I would be reluctant to kill someone if I met them if they were like Jak. Yes, Gol is a very good villain. Personally, I think he's going to come back if he can escape the Silos through the catacombs. That will be the fifth game, and it had better be a good one. And if it isn't… I will play it anyway because I'm helplessly addicted to Jak. Thanks for the vote of luck: I'll need it.

animedragongirl- Damn. I was hoping to surpass each chapter. (Meaning I will just have to try even harder). Thanks for the congratulations, even if I don't deserve it. Life handing you a shovel is simple. Let's say your entire family dies (God forbid). You think you have hit rock bottom. Life "hands you a shovel," but taking away your house and giving you Lou Gehrig's disease. Sorry you didn't get snow, but glad you have such warm weather. One thing I hate about New York: cold frikken winters. Ironic yes. I know. Extremely good guess, but Brigand's Bastion is not being burned down. That comes next. You did get the culprit down pat (hands out cookies).

TheAgent- I'm glad you like the story, but it is more than halfway finished. I honestly am a fan of short stories, but it's the long epics that really draw me, which is probably why I made this so long.

CrazyOttsel- Yes. Two days. I am dead serious, and I am grateful that it was good enough for you. I always try to leave just a tiny cliffhanger, and even though this chapter doesn't have one, people will still want to know what is going on. Since you didn't touch on the subject, I assume I fixed the romance thing. If I ever, EVER, mess that up again, please tell me how and I will try my utmost to fix it.

Disclaimer- I don't own Jak and Daxter… (wishes I did)

* * *

Articulo Mortis 

A man swabbed in black robes stuck his head out of his cave and looked up at the sky. As he gazed up, he could see the red light of the moon behind the thin cloud layer. A feeling of shame and sorrow swelled in his heart: shame that he had helped create this twisted world and sorrow that not only had he allowed himself to take the dark path, he had tried to murder family and friends. More than once since he had been redeemed, he had contemplated suicide, but the idea was quickly dismissed. The man knew he was going to die very soon; he had only an hour left. A great deal of time had gone into pinpointing the exact moment of death, which would be at nine thirty seven P.M. this very night.

"What have I done?" the man asked the sky in an agonized whisper. As if to mock or taunt him, the clouds parted, and the red moon was shown in its entirety. The man looked at the ground, painful memories going through his mind. An image of his parents' faces surfaced in his mind's eye…

* * *

"So, he is a Channeler?" a woman asked. 

"Yes ma'am," the doctor responded, a mixture of pride and uncertainty in his voice.

"What does that tone mean?" the woman asked, a hint of accusation in her voice.

"Well, there might be a problem."

"With him?"

"Possibly."

"What is it?"

"He has much anger. His abilities were revealed only when his emotions were pushed to their limits, correct?"

"Yes, but what does that mean?"

"It means this child has enormous potential, but that potential is locked away in his mind, surfacing only when he has great need of it. With proper training he might one day be able to fully control it, but until then his power will surface only occasionally. The risk is when he becomes an adolescent. You remember as well as I do how emotions sway and how quickly they can peak, for no reason at all. He might abuse his power unintentionally."

"So he will not be trained?" The father asked, more than slightly angry that his son would not be trained because his power showed itself during a Lurker attack.

* * *

"But I was trained," the man thought as he gazed over at Sandover. He felt he did not deserve to be there, for he had tried to destroy it. More memories surfaced, ones of his early teenage-hood…

* * *

He had been walking down the street that led from the Sage's house to his own. A smell permeated through the air and the boy instantly recognized it as Lurker. He ran home and found his father. "Dad! The Lurkers are attacking again!" His father immediately stopped hitting the punching bag and turned around. 

"Well what are you waiting for? Go get 'em," his father shouted as he went into the closet.

"By myself?"

"Yes son. We've trained you, and you have the Sage's wisdom and power. I have faith that you can do this," is father said as he put a hand on his son's shoulder.

* * *

"He was right. I did do it. And I managed to keep my temper," the man thought as he returned to the present. Guilt once again rose in him as he saw images from his brief time as an agent of evil…

* * *

"Please have mercy!" A woman screamed as the man walked towards her. Lips curled into a cruel smile as he looked down through yellow and black eyes without pity. 

"Mercy… is for the weak," he said as purple electricity flowed from his fingers. The woman screamed as the Dark Eco entered her body and ravaged her flesh. A sick laugh came from the throat as he ceased his attack. "Now, I'll ask you again. Where. Is. The. Precursor. Eye?" He asked, punctuating every word with an electrical blast.

"In… in there," the woman moaned as she pointed to a wall. The man extended his hand and a ball of Dark Eco shot forth, obliterating the wall and revealing a hidden room. A Lurker Scout went into the room and collected the artifact the man was searching for: an eye for a Precursor Robot.

"Thank you for your cooperation," the man said as he smiled at the woman. He briefly considered putting her out of her misery, but he decided against it. After all, she had stabbed him and therefore deserved to suffer.

"Burn in Legatee," the woman wheezed. "You are nothing but a monster, and mark my words, you will die a monster…" she said as her head hit the floor: she was unable to keep it up any longer. The woman gave a great shuddering gasp before dying at last…

* * *

"How right she was," the man thought as he stepped into the moonlight. Purple energy crackled around his body as he looked to the north and closed his eyes in concentration. 

"YOU!" a voice roared. The man turned around and saw a half-Lurker, half-elf launched itself at him. The man fell to the floor and Hatu raised his hand and extended his claws. "I'm going to kill you once and for all Torqueo," the half-breed growled as he brought his hand down. Benedict focused the pulsating energy within his body and erected a shield. Hatu was thrown off and landed on the ground.

"I am Torqueo no more," Benedict proclaimed as he stood up. Hatu tensed his body, but as Benedict stared at him, he realized that the madness and hatred that had filled his eyes was gone. He raised his hands again, wary of a trick.

"Prove it."

"I swore once to help you destroy the Dark Lords. I became one and now it is time for me to fulfill my promise," Benedict said sincerely.

"Not enough."

"I still love Keira…" Hatu tensed his body up at this statement, but his jaw dropped at Benedict's next words. "But my love for her has evolved, and I no longer desire _her_. I now desire her happiness. I've seen her with Jak, and I'm happy for her." Hatu nodded slowly: he knew that Torqueo would never have been able to do or even say such a thing.

"Margaret saved me, and now I have to repent for my sin."

"What do you mean?"

"Do me a favor Hatu,"

"What?"

"There is a note in that cave." Something in Benedict's voice made Hatu's ear twitch.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm going to die," Benedict said softly.

"What do you mean? You look fine to me."

"Maia. She implanted a Dark Seed in me."

"Isn't that the-"

"One that kills the host within three days of removal? Yes. It was removed three days ago."

"Will it hurt?"

"No. What will happen is simple. The Dark Eco in my body will cause my body to detonate."

"Then why not Channel the Eco out?"

"I tried. It is more painful than anything you could possibly imagine. I can Channel any type of Eco other than Dark."

"So what are you doing."

"Maia did this to me, and now it is time for her to pay."

"What are you doing?" Hatu asked, slightly more aggressively this time.

"If my body is going to explode, then I am going to take her down with me. With only Gol remaining, it will be much easier for you guys."

"That's suicide," Hatu gasped.

"Maybe. But staying here and waiting to die will be more horrible than anything else. And there is another thing,"

"What?" Hatu asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"I know my body is going to explode, but I don't know how big the explosion will be. I don't want to take out innocent lives, hard though that may be to imagine."

"So what do you want me to do?"

"I want you to give that note to Margaret when I leave."

"But going there unarmed is suicide," Hatu protested, trying to talk some sense into the friend that had become an enemy before returning to the light.

"I know going there is suicide."

"But I can make it easier for you," Hatu said.

"Really?" Benedict asked as he raised an eyebrow. Hatu nodded seriously. "How?"

"The Eco Belt. Keira still has a couple leftover, and I don't see why I don't 'borrow' one for you."

"You're going to steal?" Benedict asked, shocked that Hatu would do such a thing.

"It's not stealing if I always have access to them, nor if I am using them for a good cause, right?" Hatu asked with a grim smile.

"I suppose…" Benedict muttered.

"Good. I'll go get one for you," Hatu said as he rushed back to the village.

"**_Why are you helping him?_**" Wartstal's voice sounded in Hatu's mind.

"_I trust him. He seems redeemed. And if he manages to kill Maia, I'll take some satisfaction knowing I helped._"

"**_True. All right brother, I'll trust your judgment._**"

Hatu snuck into Samos' hut and found a full Eco Belt. He began to sneak back out again, creating as little noise as possible. For all he said, he did not want to explain why he was here or what he was doing. Such questions he did not want to answer.

"Here it is. One Eco Belt, primed and ready to go, as promised," Hatu said as Benedict put his belt on.

"I can't tell you how much this means to me," Benedict said as he began to concentrate on teleportation.

Hatu nodded and stepped back. Once a faint bubble began to surround Benedict, Hatu ran forward and touched Benedict's arm. He felt as though his body was being compressed from all angles. When the pressure lessened, Hatu opened his eyes and saw himself lying down in the throne room, for lack of a better term, of Gol and Maia's Citadel.

"So, he returns," a harsh female voice said as Maia, one of the Dark Lords and sister to Gol Akaron, stepped out of the shadows.

"Maia! You sowed the Dark Seed into my body!" Benedict spat. Hatu tried to move but his body had not yet recovered. Or at least, it didn't feel like moving.

"True," Maia said as she picked at her fingernails.

"And now I shall kill you!" Benedict roared.

"We shall see," Maia hissed as her aura flared to life. Benedict stood his ground as her energy signal passed by him. He waited for her to make the first move: now that his mind was clear, he knew that charging in against a Dark Eco Sage was definitely _not_ one of the wisest choices he could make.

They both acted simultaneously, running one way and firing Yellow Eco Blasts from Benedict while Maia launched an identical attack comprised of Dark Eco. The blasts hit each other and the larger Yellow Eco Blasts nullified and cancelled out the Dark Eco Blasts. Benedict ran at Maia, who leapt into the air. Benedict looked up in time to see Maia throw a disk of energy. Benedict barrel-rolled out of the way and shot a small blast of Yellow Eco. Maia simply allowed gravity to take over for her as she landed to avoid the attack. Benedict rushed up and changed his Eco Boxes, deciding to use his Red Eco Box. Maia called upon her Sagely powers to increase her strength.

After a few minutes of exchanging blows (neither damaging the other significantly), Benedict leapt over Maia. She turned, and as Benedict landed, he leapt again, flipping over her again. Maia spun again, but was not quick enough this time and received a booted foot in her chest. Benedict watched as Maia pried herself out of the wall and shot back at him. At the last second, Maia shot up and gathered energy until she unleashed ten thin beams of power at Benedict, each one emanating from her fingertips. Benedict pivoted and danced ridiculously on the spot to avoid them. As he dodged, Benedict shot several large blasts of Yellow Eco at the Dark Lord. Maia cut through said attacks easily, but Benedict had been prepared for that. All the Dark Eco did was split up the attacks so that instead of six or seven powerful attacks hitting her, twenty or so mild blasts impacted against her and she went falling down, dazed from the unexpected twist.

Maia summoned an Eco Blade as Benedict rushed to greet her and sent waves of energy at her adversary. Benedict leapt over the incoming attacks and summoned a Red Eco Blade. He brought his sword up in a horizontal slash to the right, but a vertical block stopped it.Benedict decided to go with the momentum and spun around. In the middle of his spin, Maia punched him in the back, her strength amplified by the Dark Eco in her system. Benedict stumbled forward and fell to the ground. He pointed his Blade behind him and shot flames out of the end, hoping to stave Maia off for a few crucial seconds. Maia flew into the air to avoid being cooked extra-crispy. Benedict got back up and brought his sword down and to the left, but again he was deflected. This time, however, Benedict did not spin around, not wanting to repeat the same mistake twice.

Maia pushed Benedict's sword back again and copied his last attack; she came down and to the left. Benedict blocked and spun his sword around and came up and to the right, trying to slice off Maia's legs. Maia leapt over the attack and brought her sword up behind her head before slamming it down. Benedict blocked it and they began pushing against each other, each trying to throw the other off balance. Maia pushed her blade up, leaving Benedict temporarily defenseless, and then delivered a hard kick to Benedict's chest.

Benedict went flying back, but landed on his feet, using his agility and flexibility to regain his footing. He slowly walked towards the Dark Lord and swung his sword in a vertical path going down. Maia blocked this blow, but was caught by surprise whenBenedict swung his sword in the opposite direction and came up from below. The tip of his blade touched her skin, cutting but cauterizing the wound at the same time.

Maia hissed but otherwise ignored the pain and brought her sword crashing down on Benedict's head. Or at least she would have, had her enemy not once again blocked the attack. Benedict then turned his blade and came at Maia from below, only to be foiled and blocked again. Again and again they went back and forth. Any spectator would have been unable to discern one blade from the other if they had been the same color; as they were both moving so fast that the blades left blurs in the air behind them. Once again, Benedict came up from the ground and was blocked; both of them holding their blades firmly in place as they circled each other. Maia broke her off and did a triple strike, coming first across from the left, then across from the right, then straight down. Benedict blocked all three blows with relative ease and then resumed taking the offensive. He swung his blade across, making Maia lean back. Benedict was quick to press weight on the blade in an attempt to overbear her. Maia leaned so that her head was nearly to the ground and kicked Benedict in the chin.

Benedict stumbled backwards and received a Dark Eco Blast in the chest. He healed his body quickly and then quickly got up and stopped Maia's next attack- a downward stroke to the left. He back-flipped away and landed on his feet, bent down with one hand on the ground and the other in front of his face. He rose and charged Maia, swinging his sword in a straight thrust. Maia quickly parried it and the two of them once again danced around each other, attacking and blocking, pivoting and parrying in an attempt to win.

Benedict swung his sword to the left and then seemed to vanish into thin air. Maia heard air being cut through behind her and quickly turned around to stop the Blade that was coming for her neck. After her block, she moved her rapier down and then back up to put Benedict off balance. Benedict recovered instantaneously and brought his sword above his head and slammed it down, then brought it back and repeated the motion. Maia continued blocking and eventually had to take a step back. This one movement would prove to be her downfall, as Benedict was quick to strike again and again, almost to quickly to see. Maia tried one last attack: a downward chop with all of her enhanced strength behind it. Benedict blocked and put both hands on opposite sides of his sword. He pushed back as hard as he could and forced Maia to fall over. The woman continued trying to defend herself as Benedict's sword crashed against hers continuously, but eventually the redeemed elf prevailed. Bringing his sword across rather than down, Benedict made Maia's sword arm swing wildly out and then he brought his sword down for one final attack.

Or at least he would have, had Maia not teleported away at the last possible instant. She reappeared some twenty odd feet away and the two of them stared at each other. They put their weapons away and Benedict summoned his Yellow Eco Box, marveling at how much energy the Box could hold. After all he had been through, Benedict saw that he had only used about fifteen percent of the Box's total capacity.

Benedict ducked down and twisted to the right, feeling the heat from the blasts that he narrowly avoided being nailed by. He pushed off of the ground and pulled himself into a back flip as his foe continued to fire upon him. Benedict twisted about while still in the middle of his jump, and he saw more blasts coming his way as Maia continued to shoot at him. As Maia increased the frequency of her attacks, Benedict decided to take shelter behind the throne chair. "Surely she wouldn't destroy her sign of power just to kill me," he thought as he tried to collect himself. He knew his time was growing short, with only thirty minutes remaining at best. He realized that he had to fight two wars now: one against Maia; one against time.

Benedict felt a pause in her attacks and leapt into the air, throwing a Yellow Eco Grenade, which arced across the battlefield like a flare. Maia rebounded the technique before shooting Dark Lightning back across back at Benedict. A normal elf attacking her would have been killed, even if he or she had lasted fifteen minutes, but Benedict was like Jak: in no way normal.

By the time the lightning had impacted the ground, Benedict had already left the area, using Blue Eco to augment his speed. He continued to zoom around the room, Maia's attacks hitting either the ground or the wall.

Maia grew frustrated as she launched attack after attack at her foe, only to have it dodged. She briefly considered just filling the air with attacks and not giving her enemy enough room to dodge with before she saw through his strategy. Benedict was _luring_ her: keeping her attacking so that she would drain her own powers. She gathered two balls of Dark Eco and waited for Benedict to throw the next attack.

Benedict growled softly: Maia had cottoned on to his strategy. He charged in with a Red Eco Grenade in his hand. As Maia prepared for a distance attack, Benedict finished closing the gap and extended the attack into a Bade. He snapped his Blade up from the left side as he summoned another in his left hand, aiming a wicked strike for Maia's unarmored ribs. His weapon was a blur as it moved, but incredibly, Maia summoned an Eco Blade and slapped his attack harmlessly aside. As one of Benedict's Blades went off to the side, Maia thrust forward with the her other Blade. Such a blow would have run the Benedict right through if it had connected with him. Fortunately, Benedict had seen the attack coming, and he ducked underneath the strike. Benedict dropped to the ground before using his improved strength to catapult right over Maia and attacked with both weapons, hoping to take his enemy by surprise.

Maia had sensed such an attack coming, and rather than block it, she decided to teleport. As Benedict's weapons passed through naught but thin air, Maia reappeared in the exact same spot, only facing him this time. Benedict stepped back and launched a fireball at Maia, having seen Jak do it a few times he had been concentrating on earning this attack for two days. He had only mastered it a few hours ago, and was therefore hoping that such a power would come to him as readily in a fight as it did in training. Maia ducked and spun around, compressing one of her Blades to the size of a baseball before hurling it at Benedict. Benedict leapt over the attack while continuing to throw his pyro-based attack at Maia, pleased that he was able to harness his abilities as freely as he had hoped. Maia suddenly teleported again, purple fumes erupting with a loud crack as she disappeared. Benedict had about a second to wonder where she went before she reappeared suddenly in front of him, both her Blades back and coming in at him.

With speed that seemed unnatural, Benedict deflected both attacks and was forced to continue doing so as Maia kept up her assault. Benedict retracted both of his Blades and leapt away from the fray, sending a beam of Yellow Eco at his foe. The female despot ducked under the attack and threw one of her Blades, spinning it around so that it resembled a disk. As Benedict leapt out of the way of the attack, Maia threw a blast of Dark Lightning, hoping to hit him where he landed.

Benedict saw the attack coming and launched another beam of Yellow Eco, his attack overpowering Maia's and forcing his opponent to dodge to the right in order to keep all of her limbs attached to her body. She gathered her energy and threw a Dark Grenade at Benedict, who leapt into the air and came down only to find another blast heading straight at him. Benedict knew that there was nothing he could do to deflect or dodge the incoming attack and gritted his teeth. Nothing however, could prepare him for the unbearable pain that came with the attacks of Dark Eco. After laying on the floor, Benedict decided now would be a good time to heal, and he did so.

Unnoticed by either of the dueling Channelers was Hatu's groan of pain. Unnoticed, too, went his attempts to get up off the floor. As Hatu looked behind him to see what was holding him back, he was horrified to see that snake-like tentacles had slithered out of the floor and were holding him down.

Back at the legendary duel, both fighters had summoned a solitary Eco Blade and were staring at one another. Benedict knew that he would need more than brute force to overwhelm Maia, and he tentatively hit the switch on his Yellow Eco Box. To his relief, the pain that Jak had described did not wash over him, and he charged Maia, knowing that he would be prepared for nearly anything, be it a ranged or close combat attack. Maia's Dark Eco Blade came down in a mighty swing, meeting Benedict's upstroke halfway through, and the two began a strength contest. Eco Blade clashed against Eco Blade, and sparks of Eco flew from the weapons as they gritted against each other as though the owners hoped that theirs would cut through the opponent's.

With a burst of strength, Maia shoved Benedict's weapon down and to the left, before pushing off of the ground and bringing both of her feet slamming against the head of her foe. Benedict stumbled backward. Maia summoned another balls of Dark Eco and launched it at Benedict, putting enough power behind the attack to blast a hole through Benedict's chest.

Benedict saw the attack coming and, stunned though he was, brought his Blade and swung it with all his might. The Dark Eco Grenade was hit by the Red Eco Blade and was deflected right back at the caster. Maia raised her hand and the attack impacted against her palm and was absorbed back into her body. Seconds later, Benedict launched himself forward and struck, hoping to hit Maia while she was concentrating on getting her energy back. Maia brought her own weapon up to meet the strike, swatting it aside and then following through with a wickedly powerful uppercut. Benedict dodged to the right and swung in at a horizontal angle, aiming for Maia's floating right rib. Maia swung her Blade in a wide arc before bringing it up from the floor. Had such an attack hit, Benedict would have found himself in two pieces, cut in half from the groin to the head. Fortunately, however, he had seen the attack coming and jumped back and up. Using the combined powers of Red and Blue Eco to go all the way up to the ceiling. He launched off the roof and blasted towards his adversary.

Maia saw the attack coming, and ducked beneath the strike, rolling backwards and pushing off the ground with her hands. As Benedict rolled forward and jumped over her, unable to stop himself due to the momentum of his previous attack, Maia kicked up and caught Benedict right in the gut with a powerful two-footed kick. Benedict hit the floor and vaulted up using his hands. As he balanced on one of his hands, getting ready to go back on his feet, he saw Maia launch a small spear of Dark Eco at him. He cursed mentally and, as he balanced and spun on one hand, used his Blade held in the other to swat the attack away. He pushed off the ground and used is free hand turn off the Blue Eco Box and opted to use the Yellow Eco one. The wisdom of such a move was revealed a second later, as a Yellow Eco beam split through the air. Maia jumped over he first attack only to be forced to deflect a barrage of fireballs. As she landed, Benedict swung his Eco Blade, causing streams of flame to erupt from the weapon and streak across the floor. Maia flew up and hovered in the air, sending a quick burst of Dark Lightning at her adversary to ensure he did not come any closer. Benedict, however, countered the Dark Lightning with a small wall of flames he erected in front of him, and he rushed forward as he changed back to his Blue Eco Box.

The two met moments later at break-neck speed. Benedict's crimson sword and Maia's mauve foil connected for a brief moment before both Channelers attempted another strike. Maia went up and over, coming down to the right, while Benedict went down and under before coming up and to the left. The two weapons clashed again, crossing each other midway through their strokes. As fast as she could, the dark elf broke off her attack and spun about, bringing her weapon around and aiming for Benedict's chest, a blow that surely would have left a mark had it connected.

However, Benedict was fast enough with his speed supported by Blue Eco to get his own weapon up in time to block the strike, and once again a blade lock ensued amongst the two rivals, sparks flying as red and dark vied for control of the battle. With a grunt, Maia broke the lock and backed off for a second, calling upon her powers, summoning dark lightning to his aid, while Benedict opted for a more defensive tactic, raising his shield of flames once again in an attempt to outlast his foe. Maia's black eyes narrowed, and she focused his powers to a greater degree, trying to shatter the Eco shield that her enemy had around himself. A grunt of pain could clearly be heard as Benedict flew backwards, hitting the wall when he had run out of room. He pried himself out and waited for Maia to attack him again.

Such a thing happened within a few moments. The corrupted elf shot across the room, dodging a beam of Yellow Eco and a narrow blast of fire. The Dark Lord shot up into the air before coming down, appearing as nothing more than a blur through the air. The two met again an instant later, blades hissing harshly through the air at each other as they slashed, chopped, thrust and spun, each seeking to pierce the other's defenses. Maia decided that she had better start using more powerful attacks, as she had underestimated the redeemed elf that was so determined to kill her before passing on. She extended her hand and focused, sending a telekinetic blast forward. Although Gol was much better at such attacks than she was, Maia's still packed enough power to send Benedict up and into the ceiling again. As he dropped, Benedict gathered most of his remaining Yellow Eco into his palm. He slammed it into the ground, and a massive explosion lit the room as the impact created a very nice imitation of a mega-ton bomb. The walls were blasted away and Maia, Sage though she was, knew that if she did not summon a shield, she would be hard put to survive such an attack. So summon a shield she did, though the sheer force of Benedict's attack drove her back seventy feet or so.

As Maia stood, she realized that she had _definitely_ underestimated the amount of power her foe possessed, and realized that if he kept up these kinds of attacks, he might actually defeat her.

For many minutes, the battle raged back and forth, neither ever holding the edge for long. Benedict was getting desperate, feeling the barely contained power within him struggling to get out. Maia was trying to kill Benedict before he exploded, or at least incapacitate him. The force of his explosion would kill her if she was within twenty feet of him. As she rushed back n again, she swung her Blade down before melting it into as blast of Dark Lightning. Benedict, caught unprepared, was blasted back and once again found himself kissing a wall.

Benedict once again pried himself out of the wall and healed his body, feeling the pulsating feeling fade slightly. Benedict realized that by using Green Eco, he would be able to prolong the moment when he died. For how long he could do such a thing remained to be seen. Maia rushed forward, her hands coated in liquid Dark Eco that she kept hovering about a millimeter above her skin. Benedict knew that it he was hit, the Eco would not just hurt him: it would most likely eat through his flesh and bone all together. He focused more power into his sword in hope that it would allow him to use his weapon to defend with. As Maia struck, Benedict defended and was pleased to see that his theory had been proven correct. He was quick to intercept both strikes, but Maia, undiscouraged, spun around and delivered a kick straight to his chest, blasting him backwards off of his feet and crashing into a wall again. Benedict couldn't help but wince as he got up off the floor, knowing the blow had cracked his rib cage at the very least. Nonetheless, he stomached the pain and then took to the air as Maia rushed back towards him, a war cry resonating throughout the stadium. Using all of the powers that she had at her disposal, the Dark Lord leapt into the air, and rose thirty feet up before summoning two Dark Eco Blades and swinging both of her weapons towards her foe.

Benedict back flipped out of the way of the assault and, as gravity began to take its hold upon the warrior, he extended his palms towards the armored elf. The air in front of the Channeler began to distort and waver before bursting into flames. As he fell, Benedict launched his pyrokinetic attack.

With an oath, Maia executed a mid air dash to get out of the way, but was unable to escape the attack completely, The flames washed over her, turning his armor from gold to a darkened bronze as it was partially melted by the intense heat. The properties of her armor allowed her skin to go unscathed, but if she was to lose her armor, her powerful defense would vanish.

Benedict launched a few Yellow Eco Grenades at Maia, knowing the dark elf would dodge. He stood still as she rushed at him , concentrating on altering the course of his attacks. The balls of Yellow Eco struck his enemy and Maia fell to the ground, her back being the one place her magical protection did not cover.

"Get up," Benedict growled at his opponent. Maia heard him and rage boiled in her blood. Her eyes began to bleed black, just as the black parts turned a bright red. Rather than rising, Maia teleported and reappeared ten feet away from Benedict. The two ran in opposite directions, firing small Eco pellets all the time. Maia leapt in the opposite direction, moving with speed and agility to rival Benedict's. Benedict came up shooting his own blasts, his projectiles spitting rapid three shot bursts at the powerful elf. He felt the heat as Dark Eco sped by, coming within inches of making contact, and quickly reminded himself that although she was full of rage and was more likely to use irrational attacks, Maia was even more deadly than before.

On the other hand, this was not to say that Benedict was in any way inferior to his nemesis. He quickly proved this by activating his Blue Eco Box to enhance his physical abilities. He performed a super-elfin leap, completely leaving the Dark elf's field of view, and getting off no less than four bursts. The shots hit home and Benedict grinned grimly as he landed, knowing that although the armor protected her, the blasts would at least stun Maia. Said elf retaliated with several bursts of her own once she had lined Benedict back up in her sights, and while Benedict was able to harness his Blue Eco enhanced agility to dodge most of the projectiles or use his Red Eco Blade to reflect them. Maia did succeed in bringing several beams dangerously close to Benedict's ears. The Channeler fired as he leapt again, but as it was before, the shots connected, but did nothing to his foe.

Finally realizing that the armor protected her too well to be damaged by normal shots, the color Eco-harnessing elf quickly took cover behind a three foot high raised portion of the ground while he waited. The elf waited as he charged up a beam of sufficient power, his ears becoming his eyes. As his muscles tensed, Benedict waited for anything that would betray where Benedict was. Then, he heard the slight 'thump' as a foot moved through the floor. In an instant, he had sprang up and unleashed the charged up bolt.

Maia's eyes widened to roughly the size of Eco Orbs as she saw the small yellow meteor come sailing in towards him. The dark Channeler jumped to the side, but due to Benedict's ingenuity, still had some of her facial hair scorched off and felt a pain shot along the side of his head as bits of heated stone and metal pelted his face. Still, Maia counted her blessings when she looked behind her and discovered an eleven-inch crater where the blast had hit. Benedict growled at Maia as she formed a ball of Dark Eco that was roughly the size of a volleyball and squeezed it down to the size of a baseball. She tossed it at him, and he easily dodged it. After hearing a small noise, Benedict turned around and saw the ball had actually bounced off the rock behind him and rolled along the ground until it came to a rest right next to the elf.

Now it was Benedict's turn to feel his eyes grow wide, and he hurled himself from his cover. Still, the small Eco bomb was about the same as a grenade, and he had not gotten more than seven feet away when it exploded. A scream tore its way from Benedict's throat as the heat washed over him. His pain swiftly increased as he went right through a chair and came to rest. Benedict willed away the pain and nausea of his wound and stood tall as he healed himself. He then stared into the eyes of his foe, his own glowing orbs promising a hundred excruciating retaliations. Maia coolly summoned another Dark Eco grenade in her hand, smirking at her adversary.

Benedict was quick to take advantage of the distraction, putting another huge blast dead on a collision course with his archenemy. Too late, Maia realized the error of concentrating on past minor victories, and was blown off her feet as the comet connected with her upper body. She skidded for a small ways before coming to a stop. She inspected her armor and saw that most of the plating had been damaged by the bolt, but thankfully, nothing else had been harmed, or her future could have looked bleak indeed.

Returning her attention to the battle, Maia fired a grenade and as she expected, Benedict dove away and to the right, trying to get far enough away so that he didn't have to risk getting blown off the edge. Finally realizing it would probably take far more to kill his opponent than he had originally expected, the dark Channeler used her powers to send telekinetic blasts across the battlefield, the only things giving them away being the strange distortions they left in the air.

Benedict fired another large shot again, but this time Maia was ready, and dropped flat at the last minute. Quickly, Benedict ducked behind cover and healed the lacerations covering his body. He leapt onto the rock and sprung away, not wishing to get _another_ Dark Grenade fired at him. What instead met him was another barrage of smaller bolts as the dark Channeler got back to her feet, having taken advantage of the lull in the fighting to also heal the scars on her body. Benedict's Eco Blade was quick to intercept these shots, sending them ricocheting about. This had the humorous effect of causing Maia to drop back down again as a few whizzed back towards her. If he hadn't been fighting for his life, Benedict would have smiled as Maia leapt in the air and was forced to twirl like a ballerina to keep his limbs attached.

By this time, Maia was beginning to lose patience due to the sheer stubbornness of her opponent. Opting to overkill, and assuming Benedict would not be able to survive by what he was about to do, Mia summoned her remaining power and launched a massive beam of energy at Benedict. Benedict saw his chance and dashed forward, using Blue Eco to keep his momentum and Green Eco as a shield. He plowed right through Maia's attack and grabbed her chest, pinning her arms to the side as he clasped his hands around her back. Maia struggled as Dark Eco crackled through the air. For an instant, Maia wondered about this, since she wasn't Channeling any Eco. Her eyes widened again as she realized what was happening.

"That's right Maia," Benedict snarled as the air around him began to heat up. Hatu watched Maia struggle to free herself, panic beginning to cloud her thoughts.

"I can't believe this," she muttered.

"Believe it," Benedict snarled as he skin began to crack. Purple light flowed from the breaks in his skin as he screamed in pain. Light began to gather around the two of them as the fatal effect of the Dark Seed finally finished its job.

Benedict shouted and Maia screamed along with him as the explosion started at his chest before engulfing everything around him within fifty feet. Hatu felt the wind from the explosion even from where he was, nearly a hundred feet off. Right before he passed out from the heat from the explosion, Benedict's dying words echoed in his mind.

"I will not die a monster…"

* * *

Okay, I know that Hatu and Benedict got along together WAY too fast, but I figured time was of the essence, and I couldn't have Benedict waste too much energy. In case you're wondering, the title is a Latin expression that means "at the point of death." I thought it appropriate seeing the ending of the chapter. As a side note, I just noticed this now. Why do the bigger droids in Star Wars have a blaster on only one arm? Install two! They can still use hands, but wouldn't it make more sense to have two? Wouldn't a Jedi find it slightly harder to deflect twice as many blasts? Sorry for the rant. I'll shut up and let everyone berate me for the horribleness (wow that's a word) of this chapter. Don't be too mean, and I hope everyone enjoys President's Day and whatever other days you might get off next week. And if anyone has any ideas for Rules of Life, I'm listening.

* * *

My Favorite Authors (They are listed alphabetically, not by preference.) 

1. Amathist Fwirrel

2. animedragongirl

3. Keeroshu

4. Light-Eco-Sage

5. Red Mage 04

6. Silver-WindScar

* * *

Quote of the week- Me 

Me: Rule #6 of Life (inspired by an anonymous quote): Choose wisely who you are going to marry. This single act will determine ninety percent of your happiness and misery for the rest of your life.


	38. Home Not So Sweet Home

As usual, here are the responses to the reviews you all so kindly gave me; in case there was an emailing error and you did not receive them.

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PirateElfKastel- I thank you for reading all that I have written so far. I know how long reading long works can take, so I appreciate the time you took out of your day to read this story. I hope that I can continue to please. If you want to see them kiss, you will indeed get your wish, somewhere in the realm of Chapter 34. Thanks for the lollipop, and I'll provide another chapter come Saturday or Sunday. That being said, if you like this, then I suggest you look up Red Mage 04's finished work, Risen Demon, and its sequel, War of the Ancients.

Red Mage 04- I sympathize with you my friend. School: it must be stopped. Actually, I did play Wind Waker, which wasn't as good as Ocarina of Time. To be honest though, I never thought of them for the pirates. That is the main reason that the pirates tried to force themselves on a woman, something that if they put in an anime game, somebody would be killed. The main reason I did this was to show that there are civilizations other than the ones on the main continent. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope to see an update for War of the Ancients real soon. Thank you for the compliment on the title, but the real credit goes to you. You were the first one who put Latin expressions as the chapter name. I was going to call it "On the Verge of Death." Then I wanted to put it in Latin to see of it would flow better, but I couldn't find it and then I asked a Latin teacher and she told me. I'll shut up about my uninteresting life. Yup, the quote is true, and hopefully, people will remember it. Yes… only one Dark Sage left. Gol? His reaction? Hmm… I'm sure I'll think of something. Glad your going to write chapter nineteen. Oh, and thank you for the point out- I'll take care of that right away.

Silver-WindScar- Thank you for the compliment. Yup, Maia was defeated at last. I like that rule, and it will become Rule #7. To be honest, I have up to twenty, but since yours is related to marriage, I'll put it in right after. Ooh, Marionists. I am so sick of them, mostly because I see them about five times a week, provided of course your referring to the ones that are part of the Catholic Church. You are entitled to one Blonde Moment a week (checks off a list entitled Week Three of February 2006).

GoodMorningBeautiful2005- Thanks for the chapter compliment. Yup, Maia was finally bested in battle, and just wait until you see the twist I put on this. Sings along with you as I look for Double Trouble chapter.

Keeroshu- Yup, this chapter was just one big fight fest. I have two days off every week: Saturday and Sunday (lame, I know). Admittedly, I've turn out worse chapter coughGreenEcoTemplecough but I know I can do better. Thanks, good luck yourself.

animedragongirl- Damn it, I thought it was swabbed. Well, thanks for letting me know, that way I don't make the same mistake twice. Sheesh, I just seem to throw in all kinds of crap that screws around with my chapter. Again, I'm glad that you take the time out of your life to point these mistakes out. To be honest, I never thought of the gun arm that way. Thanks very much for your input on the subject.

CrazyOttsel- You're not alone in this view: I did make numerous mistakes, and for that apologize. As to the passage you were referring to, this is what happened. Benedict shot a big blast that plowed through a table (which I forgot to mention) and he had aimed it slightly to the side so that when Maia dodged, it would still hit her slightly in the face. You are in no way a moron, and I hope that the next chapter will be better. Thanks for not giving up on me, since you are an enormous help when it comes to pointing things out that I really screwed up bows.

Amathist Fwirrel- Long time no see indeed. Thanks for the compliment on the ending, and yeah, getting hit by a bomb from less than an inch away can't feel very good. I like the rules of life, but for the third one you said, I think that Irish comedian Denis Leary says it a better way. "Life sucks, get an effin' helmet." I'll use the tolerance rule though, thanks very much for it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but I take small comfort in the fact I can play the games whenever I please.

* * *

Home (Not So) Sweet Home

"My home…" Cara whispered as her and the others witnessed the carnage being wreaked upon her motherland. Lurkers had appeared and were overrunning the town. Through his goggles, Jak could see children crying in the streets before they were trampled. To his surprise, men and women alike were fighting the Lurkers. If they had no access to real weapons, the pirates were grabbing the closet thing available and using it with deadly efficiency. Jak watched with interest as a woman used a pair of metal gears as chakrams. As she threw one and decapitated a Lurker, she swung the other one at a closer Lurker and smashed it in its chest.

"Captain, we've…" Veston trailed off as he saw what the Lurkers were doing to his homeland. He began to growl under his breath, but decided not to say anything out of fear for being insubordinate.

"Veston…" Cara breathed, so shocked by this unexpected turn of events that she forgot about propriety and called her first mate by his name.

"Yes Captain," Veston, his mind whirling for a way to counter this threat.

"Rouse the men," the captain of the ship said weakly.

"Yes ma'am," Veston said, inclining his head. "All hands on deck, you filthy swabs!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. Within sixty seconds, the entire crew had come up and knew what the Lurkers were doing to their island.

Nobody noticed Jak turn on his Blue Eco Box and walk slowly towards the edge of the ship. He turned to look at the island, fire burning in his eyes. He crouched down before preparing to spring off when suddenly arms grabbed him around his waist. Jak turned around, ready to fight, but his entire body relaxed when he saw it was Keira who had grabbed him.

"Where in the name of the Precursors do you think you're off to Jak?" Keira asked as she put her hands on her hips. Despite the situation, Jak was overcome by a nearly irresistible urge to smile at Keira's sudden resemblance to a mother. He fought the urge and gestured to Brigands Bastion, then at himself. Though he couldn't speak, Jak's meaning could not have been plainer.

"I was gong to fly there and fight the Lurkers."

"Oh no your not Jak. I know you want to, but you have to be patient," Keira said even as she remembered that patience had never been one of Jak's stronger attributes. Countless times he had gone crazy when they were younger playing hide-and-seek, eventually sitting down and pouting that he couldn't find everyone. And then when he was the hider, he would eventually wander out, looking for the person who was It. It was clear, even when he was young, that Jak preferred a good fight or race than standing around waiting any time.

"Honey, waiting has never been a strong point of Jak's," Daxter said, unconsciously repeating her thoughts. Keira rolled her eyes but otherwise ignored Daxter calling her "honey."

"Well then what are we supposed to do?" Bryan said loudly and aggressively. Now that he knew why he and Lauren were targets of Gol's (though he still didn't fully understand _why_), he was more than eager to jump at a chance to get back at the Dark Sage.

"Bryan and Jak are right," Lauren said as she stood up. She had sat down because the rocking of the boat had made her feel slightly nauseous, but as she stood up now, the rocking didn't even register to her brain. "We need to stop them before this town becomes another Auricle." Keira opened her mouth, but this was hard to argue with. Auricle had been a town situated on an island. One day, Lurkers had overrun the town, killed everyone, burned it to the ground and then somehow had managed to sink the remains of the island into the sea.

"I know what you both are saying, but we cannot rush into battle, Cara said quietly, but nevertheless getting everyone's attention. Everyone looked at her in astonishment, including Veston and her crew. They had all thought that as princess of the island and an inhabitant, Cara would be the one keenest to attack. "If we rush in right now, it might do more harm than good. We need a plan. We need a way to injure the majority of their army with one fell blow." Everyone went silent, trying to think of a plan that might work.

"I got an idea," Daxter shouted after a few seconds of silence. Cara rolled her eyes but decided to listen: from what she had seen and heard, Daxter was the idiot of the group. "Why don't we hook all the explosives you guys have to the front of the ship and send it into the town."

"Daxter what kind of plan is that?" Keira asked. "All we'll do is-"

"Deal a great blow to the enemy," Veston interrupted. Everyone looked at him in surprise and he pulled a map of the town out of his pocket. "Look," he said as he pointed to a spot on the map. "That's the town ammunition supply. If we send the ship in there, it'll level a quarter of the island, but if we can concentrate the Lurkers there and evacuate most of the villagers, then it will work. All we have to do is get a few people to rig all the gunpowder to the bow of the ship and get a few others to draw the Lurkers in that one spot." Silence finished this pronouncement before Daxter raised an eyebrow at Keira.

"What was that you were sayin' sweetheart?" he asked in a cheeky voice. Keira blushed at being proven wrong but composed herself and began thinking out loud.

"All right, then if we're using Daxter's plan, we need to decide who does what. Jak and I will go ashore: he can fly me there since we're highest on Gol's hit list. The rest of you can stay here and ready the ship. It is okay that we use this ship, isn't it Cara," Keira asked, knowing how faithful one could become to a boat.

"I can think of no higher honor for my ship than being used as a weapon to defeat the Lurkers," Cara articulated as she stood tall again. "But Veston and I will accompany you. Lurkers seem to always go for the biggest threat first, and we'll add incentive to them to chase us if they realize that w are Channelers. And in case this plan falls through and we don't blow up the ammunition stock, it'll be a good thing to have all your best fighters on the shore." Keira nodded, before a thought occurred to her.

"Wait, how can Jak carry _three_ of us?" Everyone fell silent again as they tried to figure out how one elf (despite being a Channeler) could carry three people one mile.

"I got it!" Daxter shouted. Everyone turned to face him once again. Keira wondered what Daxter was thinking: his last idea had been good, so she was curious as to whether he was clamoring for attention or if he really had another good idea. "Why don't we get a small boat and Jak can pull it in the air while the others can help us." Another stunned silence resonated through the ship after this second declaration. The crew was thinking that Daxter was the brains of the trio, whereas Keira was realizing that she wouldn't be able to truthfully tease Daxter about not being smart. He might have nearly failed in school, but she was beginning to see the extent of his wit.

"All right, I have the perfect lifeboat," Veston said as he stood up again. He pointed his finger at three pirates, who immediately went with him to release a lifeboat and lower it until it was hovering above the surface of the sea. Jak held Keira in his arms as he leapt down, using his almost otherworldly grace to land softly in the boat. Veston and Cara got in after instructing the pirates what to do. Bryan and Lauren looked slightly disgruntled at having to be left behind, but both of them knew the foolishness of following them. What the four of them would be considered suicidal if three of them weren't Channelers. Their job was nothing less than to lure the Lurker army away from the rest of the town- and the best way to do that was to attack it and then retreat.

"Good luck!" the two elves shouted to Jak as he tied a rope around his waist. Jak grinned and waved as though he were merely going to school and would be back later to play. He turned on his Blue Eco Box and levitated his body into the air. He began to fly over to the island and the boat slowly began to move. He quickly picked up speed as Cara and Veston began to row. Though they were physically strong from years of sailing, Keira helped them immensely by providing them with spare Eco Belts that she carried in case Jak ran into an emergency. Cara took the Jak's old belt, while Veston used Benedict's. Keira prayed as she watched him strap it on and turn on the Red Eco Box that he did not follow in that belt's previous owner's footsteps.

"So Cara, why don't you like Gol?" Keira asked. She had noticed Cara's eyes flare up with loathing at the mention of the Dark Sage's name, but she didn't know why. As a matter of fact, Keira wondered how Gol knew that Cara's island existed, since all maps on Weyard showed only up to the Silo and down to Misty Island. A sudden suspicion of what else she might be ignorant of sprang into her mind.

"He killed my fiancée," Cara said shortly, her eyes hardening slightly. Though she tried to keep her voice flat, Keira could clearly detect the undercurrent of pain that underlined the sentence. "Or rather, he had him killed. I didn't want to believe it, but my fiancée was found mauled by something that utilized Dark Eco. I didn't want to think Gol had anything to do with it, but after seeing him attack the village, I know he did it. And he also poisoned my mother. He came to us a month ago and asked my mother to find you two," she said as she looked at Jak and Keira. "My mother refused. He seemed passive, but I could see the anger boiling just beneath the surface. Two days later, Nicolae suddenly has risen in power and my mother is getting sick."

"Nicolae?" Keira asked as she kept her hands on the rudder to make sure the small ship did not waver from its course due to the waves.

"He claims to be a pacifist, but he has ordered the instant death of any foreigner that we deem a threat. He also has asked for my hand in marriage. What I don't understand is how the people can follow such an obvious liar. He says that he is going to promote personal freedom, but I heard him discussing with his supervisors a plan to force people to get a tattoo in order to buy or sell." Keira looked outraged at such a ludicrous idea, which basically forced someone to get a tattoo in order to live. "He suggested that any who refused publicly would be beheaded." Veston's face remained impassive, as he had been with Cara at the time, but Jak and Keira were horrified at such persecution.

"What about you Veston?" Keira asked as Jak landed in the boat. The small boat had by this time pick up so much speed that Jak had been falling behind in the air. Cara gave her oar to Veston and sat next to him. She pulled out two more oars and began miming to him how to row. Jak quickly caught on and the conversation resumed as Veston took both oars and began rowing a row by himself as Cara and Jak aided him.

"What about me?" Veston replied with a smirk.

"Why don't you like Gol."

"Well, I never did like the look of him. Little bastard reeked of mutiny and betrayal. The main reason I didn't like him was because of Anthony."

"Who was Anthony?" Keira asked as she steered the boat slowly to the right. This would ensure the boat staying in shadows. They wanted to escape detection until the could make it on to the shore.

"Cara's fiancée. I liked him. He was a good man. When I heard of the way he died, I knew that if Dark Eco was involved, then Gol had to be connected. Dark Eco is much too rare on out island for any regular elf to come buy. Even the queen herself would be hard put to find enough to that much damage to Anthony."

"Wait a second. You guys actually sell Dark Eco?" Keira asked, shocked that any community would actually live off of it.

"Sort of. Whatever we find is never a lot, but we use the small amounts we have sometimes when we have to invade fortresses to the south. Since its so deadly, the only people that would want it are assassins. Dark Eco is important when it comes to battle, but not to our economy. We have yet to find someone who can use Dark Eco without killing himself. At first the queen asked for volunteers to find Channelers, but after wiping four out, she made it illegal to use Dark Eco in tests. Nicolae is trying to resserect her program and make it illegal not to. And I saw Nicolae speaking in private to Gol one night. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but it seems to me that Nicolae has promised to run the island in a system that Gol wants. Idiot is going to get himself killed if he doesn't watch out," Veston added under his breath.

Everyone fell silent as they got out of the boat. Keira showed Cara and Veston how to use the Eco Boxes fully as Jak checked the Eco Gauge on each of his. He was nearly out of Blue Eco, but he had fully Green and Red Eco, not to mention about eighty percent of his Yellow Eco. Cara returned her Eco Box to Keira, saying that she wouldn't be able to use it. As a Coordinator, she was unable to Channel. What her talents allowed her to do was manipulate Eco being sent out. She was capable of dispelling Eco Blades or redirecting Eco Beams with concentration. Jak had an idea and summoned a Yellow Eco Blade. He handed it to her, hoping that her powers would allow her to sustain the weapon even if she couldn't Channel it. To his delight, his plan worked. Cara shrunk the Eco Blade down to the size of a grapefruit and covered it as they made their way towards the town so that the light would no give them away. As they marched, Jak refilled his Blue Eco Box to the halfway mark by draining Cara's.

* * *

"All ready?" The second mate shouted. A resounding "Aye!" answered him in the cold. Everyone began to pour into lifeboats as the second mate disable the rudder gauge. This would force the ship to continue in a straight line to the ammunition store. He wondered briefly how big the explosion would be. Everyone knew that liquid Red and Yellow Eco was extremely volatile, but no one had ever intentionally detonated it before, so the results were as of yet enigmatic.

* * *

"That was quite a plan Daxter," said Keira as she walked beside Jak. The rat looked at her in astonishment, as though unable to believe his ears.

"What was that?" he said with a sly grin on his face. Keira smiled and rolled her eyes as Daxter began saying how he knew that she would recognize his brilliance one day.

"How'd you come up with that plan anyway?" Veston asked quietly.

"I just like blowing things up, and I figured you guys would have to have kind of explosives on board." Daxter said with a grin. Jak put his finger up to his lips as they came upon the army. He threw two Eco Grenades and as they exploded, he stood up and summoned two Eco Blades. The Lurkers immediately recognized Jak as the Bane of the Lurkers, but the other three didn't make an impression on the beasts. With a roar, the entire army came out and charged the quartet. The four elves immediately turned around and started running back to the warehouse.

As they finally reached the warehouse, Jak turned around and sent a massive blast of Yellow Eco at a house. The Lurkers that were caught in the blast were immediately vaporized, while the others near the house were impaled by debris and glass. Veston waited for Lurkers to surround him before summoning a Red Eco Blade and a Yellow Eco Blade. He spun rapidly on the spot, causing those near him to be swiftly cut down. Cara redirected the blast that Jak sent out, causing a small part of it to detach itself from the main blast. She aimed this beam at a group of Lurkers that were charging Jak. As the blast hit the ground, Jak leapt into the air, throwing fireballs at Lurkers. The Lurkers that survived the blast were knocked to the ground and swiftly disposed of by Jak and Veston.

Cara turned around and kicked a Lurker in its jaw before slicing it down the middle. As she turned around to see the army, she saw seven coming at her. Cara stretched her Blade out to a disk and threw it, directing it in the air. As it returned to her, Cara noticed Keira all alone and quite unprotected. Baffled that someone that did not have Channeling powers would come with them. As Lurkers snuck up and Keira, Cara began to shout a warning. She was distracted by a Lurker landing in front of her and slashing at her. Cara fell to the ground, her Eco Blade leaving her hand and dispersing. Cara leaned back and launched herself off the ground with her hands, landing in the chest of the Lurker Worm. As its chest caved in, Cara looked over at Keira again and saw the girl shooting an arrow with a golden tip at the incoming Lurkers. As it reached them, the shaft of wood exploded, causing small bits of Lurker flesh to rain from the sky.

Satisfied that the girl could take care of herself, Cara drew her sword and charged the Lurker army. She hacked off an arm of one before switching hands and stabbing another. The rest of the nearby Lurkers saw the potential danger of this elf and swarmed at her, hoping to overwhelm her. Jak saw this and tossed an Eco Grenade at her. Cara saw the attack coming and pulled it towards her, turning it into a disk. She kept the disk at her arm and used the Eco as a shield.

Cara continued her attack, using the razor sharpness of her sword to parry incoming attack and dealing fatal strikes while using her shield to its full capacity. She quickly discovered that the shield could burn the flesh off Lurkers easily and began swinging it when Lurkers tried to sneak up on her from behind. A crash made Cara turn around and she saw a Lurker Troll heading for. Cara threw her shield, flattening it out to a spear and aimed it for the Troll's eyes. Although their skin was resistant to all but the most devastating attacks, the eyes of Trolls were appropriately known as their "Achilles' heal." And fortunately, the Troll heading for her didn't think to close its eyes as the attack went right through its eye and disintegrating its brain. With a horrible scream, the Lurker dropped down to the ground and lesser Lurkers that weren't crushed by its body continued to stream at Cara. She quickly readied her sword and went back to hacking at the incoming enemies.

Jak noticed the ship getting nearer and realized that for the explosion to be the most effective, the Lurkers should be surrounding the warehouse. But in order for that to happen, Jak and the others would have to _enter_ the ammunitions storage house. An idea suddenly occurred to Jak and he began fighting his way over to Keira. He quickly found her and relayed his message by drawing on her hand. Keira grinned wickedly and nodded. Jak went over to Cara while Keira went to find Veston. As he found her, Jak realized that to go near her would most likely result in the loss of a limb. He conjured up a Yellow Eco Blade and walked slowly towards her, killing any Lurkers that tried to harm him. As he reached her, Daxter shouted out and Jak swiftly blocked the metal weapon coming in at him. Cara backed off instantly when she saw who it was and Jak motioned for her to follow him. Cara nodded and the two proceeded to carve a path of destruction in Keira and Veston's direction.

"Ready Jak?" Keira said as she blew the door open. Jak nodded and helped Keira by lifting her up through the small hole she blew open. He sent Cara and Veston in before vaulting through, taking care not to scratch himself.

"So what are we doing in here?" Veston asked as Jak summoned a ball of flame so that the five could see. Keira relayed the plan and Veston looked back at Jak. "Are you out of your mind?" Jak grinned and shook his head. He sat down on the ground and motioned for the others to join him. One by one, the others knelt and got as close to Jak as possible. Jak closed his eyes and concentrated on listening for the boat. As he heard it approach, Jak turned his Green Eco Box and summoned a shield. He concentrated as he never had before on the shield. As the shield strengthened, the wall of Eco became almost solid, so strong was Jak's focus.

A massive explosion resounded as a fireball erupted around the shield. Flames shot up fifty feet in the air as the liquid Eco ignited and caused other vials to do the same. Jak felt the ground be ripped out from underneath him and closed his eyes tighter, not wanting to be distracted. As the noise died down and his Green Eco began to run low, Jak let the shield down and whistled. Everyone was lying at the bottom of a crater that had demolished everything within a hundred yards. Jak flew Keira up and to the end of the crater and then went back for Cara. As he landed, he noticed that Veston had already started off on his own and was quickly nearing the edge via his Blue Eco Box.

"You are insane," Cara said weakly as Jak landed. Jak grinned at her and wondered why Daxter hadn't said anything. He saw his friend on his shoulder and nudged him, getting no response. Jak realized that Daxter had fainted, and when he had, his muscles had locked so that he remained on Jak's shoulder. Jak smirked as Cara said they should go up to the castle.

"Why?" Keira asked.

"I want to check on my mother. And I have a bad feeling that Nicolae is up to something." Jak nodded: both of these reasons were good, so the group began to travel towards the castle. As they marched towards it, Jak could see how such a building might look kind and inviting, but in the current atmosphere, it looked threatening and foreboding.

* * *

"So, what's the plan?" Keira whispered as they entered the palace. She noticed that Lurkers were patrolling the halls, making it obvious who had called for the attack, and confirming Cara and Veston's suspicions that Nicolae was in cahoots with Gol.

"Me and Veston will go to the right. That's the way to my mother's bedroom. Hopefully we can get there before it is too late."

"So then me and Jak will go to the left, find Nicolae and ask him what in the name of the Precursors he is thinking, and if that doesn't work, beat him up?" Keira replied softly back.

"Basically," Cara said with a wicked smile. Everyone nodded and set off on their separate ways.

* * *

As Jak and Keira made their way down the corridor, Keira's mind began to play tricks on her. Every shadow looked like a Lurker stepping out of the darkness; every breath of wind sounded like Gol swooping down on them.

"You should really keep a tighter rein on your thoughts, girl," a sinister voice said softly. Keira turned on the spot and stared in horror as the old twisted face of Gol Akaron stepped into the light. Jak instantly grabbed Keira and pulled her backwards. He put his body in front of hers. Despite the situation, Keira couldn't help but notice how easily Jak put himself in danger to protect her.

"Why are you here, Gol?" Daxter snarled, baring his teeth and extending his claws. Keira was taken aback by her friend's sudden aggressiveness. Usually the poor guy was picked on for being so easily intimidated.

"I really don't think that's of any concern to you, rat," Gol snarled. Jak glared at the old elf and summoned a Yellow Eco Blade. "Oh, so you wish to fight me?" Gol asked. Jak silently summoned another Eco Blade and adopted a defensive stance. Gol smirked as he raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure fighting here is such a good idea? What if something unfortunate was to happen to your little girlfriend?" He said sinisterly as he summoned a ball of Dark Eco and pointed it under Jak's arm at Keira. Jak stuck his hand out as he turned on his Blue Eco Box and launched a telekinetic blast at Gol. The Dark Sage, though he was floating in the air and therefore was highly susceptible to these types of attacks, barely moved back an inch. Jak did not notice this, however, as he had turned around and grabbed Keira's wrist immediately after launching the attack and dashing down a hallway. After three seconds, Jak realized that Keira would never be able to keep up with him, charged as he was, and scooped her up. Daxter screamed as Jak ran through the palace: the Channeler's speed was so great that Daxter was hard pressed to keep himself attached to Jak's shoulder.

"Jak, where are we going?" Keira asked as Jak stopped to catch his breath. He flattened himself against a wall and tried to keep himself in the shadows. He didn't look at Keira, because he knew if he did she would see the fear in his eyes. Far from being too proud to allow her to know he was worried, Jak didn't want her to get worried. If he, the leader, was worried, then there would be nothing holding her back from her fear.

"Jak, where are we going?" Keira asked again. Jak was acting very odd in her opinion: never before had he run away from a battle without at least trying to fight. She pulled on his shoulder and received a shock.

The whites of Jak's eyes were a bright yellow.

* * *

"Bryan, look out!" Lauren shouted as she cut through a Lurker's arm. The Lurker screamed in pain as a pirate decapitated it. Though Jak and the others had made a serious dent in the army, there were still plenty of Lurkers to kill. Bryan turned around and flicked his katana. The Lurker that had been lunging at him in the air was cut swiftly at the waist. As the upper half passed him, Bryan stabbed it in the back of the head so that it was dead before it even hit the ground. As he continued to show off his rapidly growing sword skills, Bryan fought his way over to Lauren.

"You think the others went up to the palace?" he shouted as a pirate threw a glass vial of Red Eco at incoming Lurkers. Bryan and Lauren turned away from the enemies that were now being incinerated.

"Where else?" Lauren shouted back over the battle. "They would have been back by now if they had gone anywhere else."

"Think we should go up there?" Bryan hollered back.

"Yeah. You got the same feeling as me?" Lauren inquired.

"Like something terrible up there is happening?" Bryan asked.

"Exactly. I think we should go," Lauren shouted as she clumsily hacked through another Lurker. They both seized the one glass vial of Eco they had and threw them at a wall of Lurkers, causing them to explode. The two elves quickly ran through the hole in the army and made their way towards the castle, noting the absence of elfin life and the abundance of Lurkers.

* * *

"So Captain, what do you think Nicolae's up to?" Veston asked as they snuck through the castle. Several Lurkers had discovered them despite their attempts at espionage. All of the Lurkers had met the same quick demise.

"We're in private Veston," Cara remarked as they darted out of the shadows and exposed themselves for an instant. They quickly crossed the halls and went back into the shadows, seeming to dissolve into the darkness. "You can call me Cara."

"Okay. So Cara, what do you think Nicolae is up to?"

"Well, if we're right and he is in cahoots with Gol, then I think he might want to become a dictator of the island."

"Dictator? But we're a democracy mostly. How would he persuade the Senate to allow him supreme power?"

"This way," Cara said grimly. She had spotted a number of bodies littering a room about fifty yards away, but her eyesight had allowed her to identify the body as Marquis', the oldest Senator.

Cara and Veston entered the room, observing the carnage. Some of the bodies had been ripped limb from limb, others had just had their heads ripped off before the limp bodies had been tossed aside. In certain cases, it was impossible to determine who the corpse was, so mangled were the bodies.

"Veston," Cara breathed, not sire if her first mate had heard the slight noise.

"I know," Veston said shortly. "Go find your mother before she meets this fate!" Veston shouted as two burly Lurkers roared and emerged from the shadows. Both of the beasts were eight feet tall and had a brown tough skin. If they weren't so deadly, the beats would have looked comical, due to the fact that their skins seemed to be slightly too big for their bodies and hung almost loosely. In addition to nasty looking claws and fangs, both of the Lurkers wielded a double-edged spear. Veston drew his katana and prepared to fight as Cara shouted good luck as she ran for her mother.

* * *

Keira's eyes widened as she stepped back automatically in fear. Jak looked at her and cocked his head. He could sense that she was scared to death, but he had eluded Gol, at least for the time being. He took a small step towards her and she backed away from him. Jak reached out and Keira flattened herself against the wall and closed her eyes as though expecting to be hit at any second. Jak put his hand softly and she flinched. Jak withdrew his hand quickly, the flinch hitting him harder than a physical blow. Jak backed away from Keira, trying to figure out what he had done to scare her so badly. He looked at Daxter, hoping his friend would have some kind of answer when Daxter screamed and leapt off his shoulder. Jak blinked back tears- his friends were terrified of him and he had no idea why.

"Jak! What the Legatee is wrong with you?" Daxter screeched. Jak was taken aback; what had he done? "Your eyes…" Daxter trailed off. Jak felt his face, as though he would be able to feel something was wrong. To his surprise, he did feel different. His eyes were burning, giving off heat so that when his finger touched the closed eyelid, he had to pull it off.

"What's happening to you?" Keira whispered. Jak looked at her as his eyes shone a deeper yellow. Keira squealed in fear, since she knew that the brighter one's eyes shone the more irrational the person would become. As she prepared to bolt away with Daxter, Keira noticed something else about Jak.

His azure gaze had not changed.

Keira took a tentative step towards Jak, hoping that he was all right and terrified of what would happen if he wasn't. Jak closed his eyes and felt a presence enter his mind once again.

"_Kill the girl…_" it whispered to Jak. Jak shook his head hoping to shut the voice up. "_She does not understand you. She thinks you are the enemy. She will betray you…_" Jak shook his head harder and the voice left. Jak wondered where that voice had come from. He knew that Keira would never betray him, but he noticed that Keira did seem to be petrified of him for no apparent reason. He looked at her again, and she immediately ran forward and embraced. Jak gasped as Keira's arm crushed his chest as she tightened her grip.

"I was so scared that I might lose you," she whispered. Jak couldn't respond, he was too bust trying to place the voice he had heard in his mind. All of a sudden, everything clicked.

It was Gol.

Jak pushed Keira away. He ignored the hurt in her eyes as he looked at his hands, disgusted with himself. Somehow Gol had found a way to sneak into his very mind again. Jak backed away from Keira, scared for her. Scared of himself. He could still feel Gol's presence, lurking in the shadows of his mind, waiting for the perfect moment to come forth and try to persuade Jak to serve him. But Jak would never do such a thing. Jak swore to himself that if he sensed that he was losing the fight against Gol then he would take his own life. Better off dead then alive with even the slightest chance that he would harm Keira.

Jak took another step away and Keira grabbed his wrist. Jak tried to pull away, but found her grip to be surprisingly strong. Daxter jumped back up on his shoulder and wrapped his tail around Jak's shoulder.

"Don't leave Jak," Keira whispered. If Jak left, she didn't know what she would do.

"Yeah buddy, we need ya here," Daxter said sincerely. Jak shook his head- his friends didn't know the danger that they were in by him being around. If Gol ever made him lose control for even an instant, Jak knew that his friends would be the ones to pay the price.

"Jak, what happened before?" Keira asked as she looked in Jak's eyes. To her relief, they were the normal blue and white again, but she was puzzled by his confusion and fear. Jak began drawing in her hand, hoping that she wouldn't freak out when he had told her what was happening to him. "Gol has… found a way… to enter… my mind…" Keira looked at Jak in horror. Jak flinched, but he noticed that all of her fear was not directed at him, but rather for him. "I think… he might make… me do things… that I… don't want to…" Keira looked up at him again, beginning to see where he was going with this. "I don't… think I… should be… near you any… more." Keira's eyes began to fill up with tears as she realized Jak was leaving her. As the Channeler began to back off, Keira grabbed him and pulled him back.

"You're not going anywhere Jak. You know you would never hurt me. I know you wouldn't ever hurt me. And Gol can't change that," Keira finished as she hugged Jak. Jak tried to resist, but eventually his arms wrapped around Keira's back and he pulled her closer to him. Daxter hopped down and looked at the touching scene and opened his mouth but then decided better of it.

Jak leaned down and captured Keira's mouth with his own. As their lips connected, he once again felt that connection with her. It transcended physical touch, it filled his heart and mind with his love for her.

A sudden scream sounded as Gol fell to his knees. Jak left Keira and motioned for her to run and find Nicolae. He summoned a Yellow Eco Blade as Keira scooped Daxter up and began running.

"I don't know what kind of tricks you're trying boy," Gol snarled as he gathered his powers, "but you won't catch me off guard again!" Jak puzzled this for a second before sending a beam at Gol. Gol teleported closer to Jak and off to the side as he launched a blast of Dark Lightning. Jak absorbed the attack into his Eco Blade and rushed at Gol. As he brought his Blade down for Gol's head a sudden pain filled Jak's head. His Eco Blade dispersed and his eyes rolled back in his head as he fell to his knees. Jak grabbed his head and pressed the temples together, trying to make the pain lessen. It was to no avail.

"That's right scum," Gol chuckled. "Bow down to me." Jak looked up at Gol and tried to focus his Channeling powers, but the pain was too distracting and he fell backwards hitting his head on the stone floor.

"Fool! You think you can beat me?" Gol cackled as Jak thrashed on the floor. "I can see your mind Jak. I will always be watching you. We are connected, you and I. We are similar, and soon, your body will be mine to control!" Gol said before bursting out in laughter. His words infuriated Jak, who felt so impure and unclean knowing that Gol had access to his mind whenever he wanted. Gol raised his hand and purple electricity crackled at his fingertips. Through the pain, Jak saw Gol and realized what the crazed Sage was going to do. Jak closed his eyes and waited for the attack to come and tear at his body…

* * *

One of the Lurkers ran forward and thrust his spear directly at Veston's heart. The Blade Channeler quickly deflected it so that the tip was embedded in the wooden floor. He quickly dodged to the right as the other Lurker slammed his spear down, no doubt hoping to cut right through the meddlesome elf. Veston slung his arm around the first Lurker's spear and followed his arm with his body. As he passed between the spear and the Lurker, Veston made a nick in the rib cage and then brought his sword up to block a blow made by the second Lurker that was aimed at his face.

Veston moved the second Lurker's spear down so that it was slammed into the first Lurker's spear. As the first Lurker tried to pry his weapon out of the ground, Veston broke the lock with the second Lurker. As the second Lurker aimed his weapon, the first Lurker freed his weapon and rushed in, bellowing.

Both Lurkers drove their weapons forward, only to have them deflected with one swipe. Veston knocked one spear aside as he jumped over an incoming swipe from the other. He spun around and leaned his head backwards as the other side of the spear he had deflected came slashing in. So narrowly did he dodge the attack that Veston felt some of his hair part with his scalp and saw it fall through the air.

Again both of the Lurkers tried the same move, and again their stabs were blocked with a single move. Veston went to work, blocking one spear only to have to dodge that spear's other side while blocking the owner of the second spear. At last he caught a break when one of the Lurkers did something incredible stupid. One of them apparently decided that what it needed was a bigger height advantage, so it leapt onto a marble column and pushed off, its immense weight shattering the supporting stone stake.

As it came down, Veston saw a chance and jumped up, swinging his sword so fast that it cut clear through the spear and separated a piece about two feet in length. Veston grabbed this by the cut end and landed. As the Lurkers came forward again, Veston used the tip of the spear as another sword. So quickly did he block the incoming attacks that the clangs sounded as though Christmas bells were ringing across the entire island.

For the third time, both of the Lurkers aimed their spear points at Veston's heart and stabbed. The same attack yielded the same result: Veston blocked. This time, he ended block by slamming the spears down and leaping over them. As he passed between the Lurkers, Veston flipped both his katana and the spear tip he was holding over so they were held knife-style. He propelled both of them straight down- right through the tops of the Lurkers' skulls. Veston landed weaponless, but his job had been done. He retrieved his sword from the right Lurker's head and swung it quickly to wipe the blood off. He sheathed his sword and hurried on his way, anxious about his captain, and his friend.

* * *

Cara hated herself as she ran through the hallway. She felt as though she were abandoning her first mate. She knew that what she was doing was the most logical thing to do, but the feeling of deserting him in his time of need still stuck with her.

Cara raced through the hallways with a speed to rival Jak's. As she raced towards her mother's room, a Lurker suddenly dropped from the ceiling. Cara briefly considered going past, but as it pulled a four foot sword, she quickly disregarded that option. What puzzled her was the very edge of his blade. The tip was normal, with a small piece of metal that curved backwards. It could not have been more than an inch long, but the fact that it was there confirmed that it served some sort of purpose.

The Lurker was an imposing seven feet tall, with two trails of flesh protruding from the back of its head like tails. The two tails writhed as they traveled down to the floor. Dark green eyes were set in a slimy face, and its body was not made up of fur, but of scales. Cara knew that this Lurker must be very powerful for it to be on its own. Generally, the weaker the Lurker, the more of them one found in one place.

As the Lurker rushed forward, it brought its big sword crashing down. Cara blocked it with a horizontal swipe, but the sheer force of the blow sent her staggering backwards a couple of steps. That was all the Lurker needed, as it charged forward, swinging its weapon as it did so. Cara blocked the first horizontal swipe, but realized after that that it would be much easier to simply dodge the incoming attacks. She leaned forward under another horizontal strike and then stood up straight and spun to the left as a vertical blow came from below. She leaned forward again and dodged a third attack, but realized the flaw in her plan quickly: if she continued to back up without attacking, she would eventually run out of room and lose.

As the Lurker thrust his sword forward, Cara brought hers crashing down to block it. Unfortunately, she had fallen right into the Lurker's trap, and it rotated his sword. Cara's weapon was caught in the small bit of metal at the tip and was jerked out of her grip. She ducked under a vertical strike, thinking of how to get her sword back when she realized that her sword was still caught in the Lurker's weapon. She recognized the fact that her weapon would remain attached so long as the sword kept moving. She leaned to the right as the Lurker brought his (and her) sword back up and then thrust forward. Cara grabbed the hilt of her blade and grabbed the reverse side of her weapon. She pulled on the top and it spun out of the Lurker's grip and back into her awaiting hand.

Cara spun around and brought her sword rushing in, its blade hissing as it split the air. The Lurker rotated his sword so that the hilt was facing towards the ceiling and blocked the incoming strike. He jumped back before leaping forward, spinning in the air and connecting his foot with Cara's face.

The Coordinating Channeler went stumbling back and fell as she hit a column. Fortunately, she retained enough of her senses that she saw the Lurker landing and she rolled to the side just in time to avoid being sliced in two. The same could not be said of the stone column, which shattered as the Lurker's sword went right through it. Cara got to one knee before the Lurker struck again, swinging with the arm closest to Cara. Even as she blocked the attack, the Lurker moved in with nightmarish speed and transferred his weapon to his back hand. Before she realized what was happening, Cara felt the breath leave her body as the Lurker hit her in the solerplexis with a palm heel. Once again she went through the air, but did not travel far. The two tails from the Lurker's head grabbed her arms and pulled her back in. Cara gasped in pain as a size thirty foot hit her in the chest, most likely damaging some ribs, and sending her flying through the air again.

Cara landed painfully on the stairs, the sharp corners digging into her back and increasing her discomfort. The Lurker once again tried to cut through her, but Cara dodged again, determined to defeat this foe and see her mother. Her dreams were cut short, however, by the Lurker grabbing her by the chest and picking her up. The Lurker slammed her into another and brought his sword back to induce the killing blow. Cara saw her chance and kicked the Lurker in the face. As it went stumbling back, Cara landed and brought her sword up to her shoulder, pointing straight ahead at the Lurker.

Cara darted forward and with an upward strike knocked aside the dazed Lurker's weapon. She brought her sword back and thrust it forward one final time- directly between the eyes of the Lurker. As it slumped to the floor, Cara collapsed. She breathed deeply, her body aching from the battle it had just gone through. She remembered her mother and painfully got up, staggering to get to her mother's bedroom, which was so close…

* * *

The lightning at Gol's fingertips continued to crackle and Jak braced himself for the pain that he knew was coming. As a cry split the air, Jak was surprised to hear it come from Gol and not himself. He looked up as the pain in his head vanished. Keira had reappeared and had hit Gol in the back with an Eco arrow.

"By the Precursors, I love her," Jak thought as Keira loaded up another arrow. Gol teleported away and the arrow went through thin air, detonating on a wall. He reappeared in front of Keira and his left hand came down with a ball of Dark Eco held in it. Keira closed her eyes in preparation for the most likely fatal attack.

But it never came.

Gol screeched as Jak sent thin beams of Yellow Eco, nicking him in the limbs. Some of the strikes went so deep that they severed skin, muscle and nerves. Gol's legs gave out and he landed on the floor, his legs dead. He snarled and forced Jak to collapse by invading his mind again. He vanished as Keira loaded another arrow into her bow. Keira glared at the space which had been previously occupied by evil incarnate before rushing over to Jak, whose face was pale.

"Jak!" Keira shouted as his body shook. Convulsions wracked his body as Keira shouted, try to get through to him. As his movements slowed, Keira brought his face up in a fierce kiss, hoping that it would revive him again. To her delight, Keira heard Jak groan as his fingers went through her hair. She broke away from him and looked at Jak, who smiled at her. Keira smiled back before slapping him across the face. Jak looked her bewildered as she growled at him.

"That was for leaving me like that," she said softly. As Jak looked at her and pouted slightly, she leaned down and kissed him again. "And that was for coming back."

"I think he was faking Keira. He knew you would do that," Daxter said as he grinned. A slap on the back of the head by Keira made him wrinkle his nose and he climbed back on Jak's shoulder.

"By the way, why are you so happy?" Daxter asked as he ,looked at the grinning girl. Jak was wondering that as well: this was hardly the time to be cheerful.

"Didn't you hear what Gol said? He said, 'We are connected, you and I.' At first I thought that he misspoke, but then I remembered before when we kissed. Gol cried out in pain because of your emotions. At first I didn't know why, but after thinking about it for a minute, I figured it out. It was love Jak." Jak went slightly red at this statement, but Keira continued as though she hadn't noticed. "Love is such a foreign emotion to Gol that when you feel it while he's connected to you mentally it gives him physical agony." Jak blinked as he realized that Keira was right. Not only had Keira found out a way to block Gol from accessing his mind, but she had also found a way to maybe use the mind link Jak had with Gol against the Dark Sage. Keira opened her mouth but Jak clasped a hand around it. He held his finger up to his lips as a voice came in from down the hall. The trio looked at each other and nodded as they silently made their way to the open door…

* * *

Cara leaned against the door of her mother's bedroom. The cool stone felt welcoming to her burning flesh, but it did not last. She tried to stand, but a wave if dizziness gripped her and she went falling back…

Only to land in Veston's arms. "Captain! Cara!" He shouted as he shook her shoulders. Cara responded by mumbling something incomprehensible. "Here," Veston said as he turned on his Green Eco Box. The healing substance flowed from his body into Cara's, eliminating her fatigue and restoring her strength. Cara stood up and opened the door.

She did not even have to go over to her mother's bed to know the truth. The scent of death hung in the air, but fortunately, Cara could not smell blood. That meant either her mother was killed quickly, which Cara hoped was true, or she was tortured by Gol until she died. If the latter proved to be true, Cara vowed that she would never stop until Gol was dead and ripped apart. She went over to her mother's bed to see her mom for the last time in her life. "She looks peaceful," Cara thought as she stroked her mother's hair. It appeared that what had killed her mother was the poison that Gol had secretly administered to her. There was no sign of a struggle, just a sense that her mother had been sleeping still and had died in her sleep. Grateful that her mother apparently had not suffered, Cara turned and left.

"So, what now Captain?" Veston asked, referring to her title. He was unsure how the girl was coping with her mother's death and did not want to invite undeserving rage from the potentially irrational elf.

"We find Jak and Keira," Cara said in a slightly high-pitched voice. Veston knew that Cara was suppressing her emotions until the tears and the grief could manifest themselves safely. The two of them made their way to Nicolae's private quarters, where Cara knew he would be gloating about the attack.

"How could you?" Cara heard as she drew near the room. She went inside and saw Nicolae sitting behind his desk like a pompous ass. Jak was breathing heavily out of anger and Keira's face was red with rage. But it was Bryan and Lauren that surprised Cara.

"How could you!" Cara heard Lauren shriek again as Nicolae smirked. He stood up and nodded to Cara, who merely snarled in response.

"Simple. Those who were weak have been eliminated, and now only the strong remain. I'll pretend to be upset about the death of the senators and the people will elect me king in light of your mother's unfortunate demise." Something in his tone made Cara narrow her eyes at him.

"It was you!" She realized. "You poisoned my mother."

"Of course. The old lady was growing inept and feeble in her old age, and she refused to allow me to court you. That will change when I am king, I can assure you." Despite herself, Cara shivered in a small amount of fear as he stood up tall. He was right: as king it would be quite within his power to marry the princess; even against her will.

"You're forgetting one thing: I'll never serve you. I'd rather be exiled!" Cara shouted. To be exiled from Brigands' Bastion was a fate considered worse than death, but this pronouncement did not seem to faze Nicolae in the least.

"And I'll be exiled before Cara is forced to marry scum like you!" Veston snarled as he drew his blade. In an instant, the two elves standing behind the door that no one had noticed had drawn their swords and pointed them at Veston. One pointed him in the back of the leg, while the other let the point of his blade touch the back of Veston's neck.

"How can you side with them?" Lauren shouted.

"Better to serve Nicolae and be high up in society than fight and be killed," one of the guards said in response.

"Coward," Keira and Bryan said simultaneously. Nicolae's eyes narrowed.

"I apologize, but I am afraid that seeing as how the princess will not comply, I will have no choice to banish both her and you, first mate. Though that title will no longer apply to you, since your ship was destroyed. And as for the outsiders, I think I'll put them to death."

"That bill was never passed, asshole!" Veston shouted as one of the guards twisted his arm behind his back and lifted him off the ground.

"I think you are forgetting, whelp, that I now have supreme power." Nicolae said gloatingly.

The next day dawned bright and hot. There was no joy, however, as Jak, Keira, Daxter, Bryan, Lauren, Cara and Veston stood in the middle of what remained of the town. They were chained and each was armed by at least three guards. The only thing they were thankful for was the fact that they still had their Eco Boxes: Nicolae had no idea what the brightly colored boxes on their belts really were.

"Citizens of Brigands' Bastion!" Nicolae shouted, to a response of a mixture of booing and cheering. "It is my deepest regret to inform you of treason of the worst kind. Princess Cara Tarakava has been found guilty of conspiring with Lurkers in order to murder her mother. Sadly, she succeeded, and the now late Queen Nui Tarakava has passed away. By rights, power should move to Princess Cara, but as she is guilty of treason, treachery, and murder, the senators deemed that I shall inherit the throne. Although it is within my power to put the Princess and her co-conspirators to death, I will grant them mercy. Princess Cara Tarakava, Veston Droit, Bryan Caulfield, Lauren Handy, Keira Hagia, Daxter Bryant, and Jak: It is with great regret that I deem that you are all to be banished to a remote island. May the Precursors have mercy on you and may you repent for your sins."

Jak struggled against his chains, but a guard instantly had his sword half-drawn. Jak settled down and took some satisfaction in the fact that as he was mute, he did not have material stuffed in his mouth.

One by one, the "prisoners" were loaded into a small ship that was set to sail for a small desert island. By disabling the rudder gauge, it would ensure that no one would be able to direct the ship elsewhere, and also meant that no guards would have to accompany them.

Three days later, Jak and everyone else left the ship and looked with dismay at their surroundings. The boat had been shattered upon arrival, so it was now useless except as a source of firewood. There were some palm trees and sand, but except for an occasional bush, it was completely deserted. Jak thought grimly that at least it was a pretty prison. In fact he would have been happy to stay here had he a choice in the matter.

As the sun beat down relentlessly, the seven of them got into the small amount of shade, too tired and hot to even talk to one another. Even if they weren't, none of them had anything to say. Each of them were trying to think of a way off this Legateeish paradise they had been condemned to for the rest of their lives.

* * *

Hey, sorry I couldn't update Sunday, but school gave me a nice twenty-page history project over my vacation. So I started this Monday, and I hope I did it okay. In case you are wondering, a chakram is a bladed ring that one can throw. After traveling through the air, it will return to the thrower. I borrowed it Tales of Symphonia, which I recommend for RPG fans. I hope that this was worth the wait, and if it wasn't… then I'm sorry for wasting your time. I hope that the ending was okay, as I'm a little nervous about exiling everyone to an island. If you find anything wrong with the plot, don't hesitate to berate me about it, as its one of the few way I actually learn. Please review, even if its to do nothing more than laugh at m feeble writing skills. See you on Sunday!

* * *

My Favorite Authors (They are listed alphabetically, not by preference.)

1. Amathist Fwirrel

2. animedragongirl

3. Keeroshu

4. Light-Eco-Sage

5. Red Mage 04

6. Silver-WindScar

* * *

Quote of the week- Me

Me: Rule #7 of Life (inspired by Silver-WindScar) There are three rings in marriage: Engagement ring; Marriage ring; Suffering.


	39. Unforeseen Aid From An Unexpected Source

As usual, here are the responses to the reviews you all so kindly gave me; in case there was an emailing error and you did not receive them.

Amathist Fwirrel- Yup, good ol' Catch 22's. I wouldn't banish Jak to a lump of rock. I want to put him and everyone through hardship, but I also needed to give them a reasonable chance of survival even while taking away any hope of actually escaping the island. After I got the idea of banishing Jak for doing something _good_, (irony) I was watching Pirates of the Caribbean and noticed that Barbossa banished Jack to an island, but gave him food, shade and shelter. Hehe, I just realized Captain Jack Sparrow and Jak have the same name. I'll be honest: I don't get the joke. If you'd said Timon and Pumbaa, then I would have gotten it, but I don't know who Ant and Dec are… Anyway, thanks very much for your kind review, and hopefully my next chapter will be up later today.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but I take small comfort in the fact I can play the games whenever I please.

* * *

Unforeseen Aid From An Unexpected Source

"Jak! Stay out of that corner, its mine!" Daxter shouted as he glared at his friend.

"Shut up Daxter," Keira shouted as she continued to try to light the fire. It had burned out again: for some reason the wood here did not burn. Not even Jak's Eco Fire could burn for more than ten minutes.

"Don't tell me to shut up you grease monkey!" Daxter called to Keira.

"What did you call me you little rat?" Keira said as she glared over at the small orange animal. Jak quickly stepped between them, keeping one hand below Keira's neck while holding Daxter in his right hand. Jak winced as Daxter scratched him in an effort to get Jak to let go, but Jak was adamant. Keira and Daxter glared at each other before their bodies slumped down in exhaustion.

"Sorry Keira," Daxter muttered as he looked down at the ground. Jak loosened his grip and his small friend climbed across his arm and sat on Jak's shoulder. Daxter leaned against Jak's shoulder, panting because of the heat.

"It's okay Dax. I guess we're all a little touchy because of this place." Jak nodded in agreement with Keira. The days were unbearably hot, but worse than that was the nights, when the water that Jak had collected from a stream would begin to freeze.

"We gotta get the Legatee off this place," Daxter sighed.

"But how?" Veston asked as he entered the small cave, a bundle of wood strapped to his back.

"Why'd you bother getting wood: we can't burn it?" Cara asked as she looked up from the stone where she was cutting some fruits they picked from the trees.

"This isn't from the ship. While I was collecting more fruit, I fell of the tree. My sword came out slightly and sheared a thin layer of the outer covering off. I peeled more back and found that those trees have wood underneath, so I cut some off and figured we might try burning it."

"Oh. Nice job," Cara said as she smiled at her former first mate. Veston nodded at the captain and smiled proudly. As he sat down and began to undo the straps of the pack on his back, Jak came over and helped him out. As the wood cluttered to the ground, Jak turned on his Red Eco Box and gathered a small ball of flame. He brought it closer to the wood and it burst into flame. He tossed it into the fireplace they had created and dumped the rest of the wood on as well.

Half an hour later, the wood was still burning, and everyone was celebrating the fact that they now had a way of keeping warm at night other than huddling together and shivering while hoping that the body heat from everyone else would warm them. As Jak poured himself some more juice, Keira began to cough.

"Is there anyway that we can cut a hole in the top?" She asked while she coughed. "The smoke is making it hard to breathe." Jak nodded and had Keira lie down before he flew to the top of the sixteen-foot tall cave. He gathered what little Yellow Eco power he had felt and summoned an Eco Blade that was only half the length it usually was. Using his Blue Eco powers to move himself in the air, Jak carved a small hole about two feet in diameter in the ceiling. The smoke billowed out and went spiraling up into the night sky.

"Thanks Jak," Keira said as he landed. Jak smiled at her, but frowned when he was her face: it was red and puffy. He got up to get her a glass of cold water, but by the time he had gotten back, she had already fallen asleep. Jak ripped a sleeve of his shirt off and doused it in the water. He draped the rag against Keira's forehead and frowned when she did not respond. He looked over at Cara and Veston, but decided not to bother them. They looked very busy discussing a way to make a raft and get off the island. Cara seemed to be protesting, saying that they would have no way to steer, and that they could wind up in a place far worse than where they were already.

Jak turned his attention back to Keira and debated covering her up or leaving her exposed. He decided to place her near the fire so that she would be warm but wouldn't burn up. He sat down next to her and kept a vigilant eye on her, hoping that her face would become paler again. It was normal for her cheeks to have slightly reddish tinge to them (Jak enjoyed it: he thought it looked cute on her), but never before had her face been so red, not even when Daxter had caught them kissing. Jak was sure that she was not embarrassed from asking him for help, but was certain that she had gotten sick from either the island or inhaling too much smoke.

All through the night, Jak kept an eye on Keira, even after the fire burnt out and the sun rose, causing rolls of heat waves to wash over the entire party. Keira began to take a turn for the worse, sweating and shaking. By noon, everyone noticed Keira's sudden illness and was wondering what could have caused it. Cara theorized that perhaps an insect had given her something, since the mosquitoes had ravaged all of them every night. Veston countered this by wondering why no one else had fallen prey to the disease of that was indeed the way it was transmitted.

"Maybe she just has a fever," Daxter wondered out loud. Jak shook his head and pulled the cover he had placed over Keira's body when he had felt her forehead and found her to be freezing last night about half an hour after the fire had burned out. Keira's entire body shivered as though freezing despite her being drenched in sweat. Her clothes were drenched as though she had gone swimming in them, but Jak hardly paid attention to such minor details. Daxter fell silent. Jak was right: this was no ordinary fever.

"Could it be the smoke?" Veston asked, as he had heard Keira complain about the smoke. Jak nodded slightly to show that he agreed with this thought. The conversation was halted by a massive blast resounding through the air.

"What in the name of the Precursors was _that_?" Daxter screamed after he had taken his hands off his ears when the sound had stopped. Jak stuck a finger in his ear and rotated it: he could no longer hear what was happening. He shook his head violently, almost dislodging Daxter, but finally he got his hearing back.

"It sounded like a," Cara began, but did not finish the sentence. She looked over at Veston, who had the same bewildered look on his face, confirming her thought that the sound was indeed what she thought it was.

"Let's go check outside," Veston said quickly and the group followed him outside. Jak and Daxter's jaws dropped- there was the _Apprehender_, just as they had left it in the middle of the sea.

"How the Legatee did it get out here? And if it drifted, then what was that blast we heard before? Unless it came from the ship, in which case, who's on that ship?" Jak thought as he cautiously made his way towards the ship. Suddenly a very short creature swathed in robes appeared at the top of the bow.

"Let's go everyone!" it shouted. Jak stepped back in shock, for the voice had been that of Sett's.

"But he couldn't be here now," Jak thought. "And even if he was, he's not so short."

"Trust your first instinct Jak," the creature said as he jumped off the ship and landed in front of them all. He threw back his robe, revealing a smooth face with green eyes, short silver hair and a slightly wrinkled forehead. The ears that stuck out of his head were small, but the edges were rounded rather than pointy. Jak suspected that such a curving would give Sett (if this creature was indeed Sett) better hearing than most.

"Now is not the time for the story of why my appearance has changed," Sett said as he walked towards the cave. "We must work quickly, and time is of the essence." Jak nodded and went into the cave and getting Keira. He carried her out and showed her to his old trainer, hoping the wizened elf would have some idea to the causes of her condition. Sett took one look at the prone female elf and his eyes widened.

"We must get her out of the sun," he said quickly. "Take her to the ship and watch over her Jak," Sett barked as he went into the cave to see if there was anything useful he could take with them on the journey back to Sandover.

Jak flew up to the ship and went back for Cara and Veston.

"Who is that Jak?" Veston asked as Jak flew him into the ship.

"He used to train Jak in swordsmanship. But I don't know why he changed so much," Daxter answered. Jak landed and Veston let go of Jak's hands. Jak flipped off the ship and gathered Cara. She asked the same question, and Daxter answered the same way. After depositing Cara, Jak repeated the sequence with Bryan and Lauren. After Jak landed, he left everyone and went to check on Keira. She had not improved, if anything she looked worse, Jak thought as he stroked her hair. He knew he had to relax: he was going to make himself sick if he kept feeling so stressed, but he couldn't help it. He heard footsteps approaching and by the sound of them, Sett had gotten back on the ship and was approaching him.

"Cara and Veston and getting the ship off the sand and from here we'll head back to Sandover. By then Keira should be back to normal." Jak looked up at these words. "Yes, I think I know what's wrong with her. I just need to examine her briefly." Jak was slightly uncomfortable about leaving Keira alone, but he reasoned with himself that if he couldn't trust his old teacher with Keira, then he couldn't trust anyone. He stepped out of the room and waited about a minute and a half before Sett said he could come back in.

The small elf collapsed into a chair and held a hand to his forehead. "It's just as I thought. You were all right. This is no ordinary disease. It's not even a disease. it's a combination of sunstroke, dehydration, and a fever." Jak was puzzled at this, the fever and sunstroke he could understand, but dehydration? They had plenty of juice and water in the cave. "To be honest, she probably wouldn't have gotten sick at all if it weren't for the dehydration. It seems she hasn't drunk anything for four days. Or eaten anything." Jak's eyes bugged out at this. He looked down at the sick elf lying on a bed. His eyes began to fill up with tears at the thought of losing her, but Jak quickly blinked them back. Now was not the time for tears; now was the time to figure out how to get Keira better. Cara and Veston walked in and Sett repeated what he had told Jak to the two of them. He then repeated it to Bryan as he walked in carrying Lauren, who, Bryan claimed, had fallen asleep due to sunstroke.

"Okay, then we need to keep her in the shade. Veston, get a cool compress for her head. Sett, I want you to go outside and keep an eye on the ship while we care for Keira down here. She's in good hands- I took a course in medical care when I went to school." Sett nodded at Cara's orders and went outside. "Daxter, I want you to find the kitchen and get something soft for Keira to eat. Bryan, go with him and get some water as well." Daxter made a smart-aleck salute, but hopped off of Jak's shoulder onto Bryan's and the two of them left to do as they were asked. Jak looked at Cara, slightly hurt because she didn't seem to have a need for him.

"Don't worry Jak, I have a very important job for you," Cara said, guessing at Jak's train of thought. "don't overreact, but there was a reason I sent everyone else out of the room. We need to get her out of those clothes." Jak's face erupted at this statement but he tried to keep his reaction under control. "Get some clothes out of the dresser over there," Cara told him as she took the covers off of Keira. Jak got a pair of red sweatpants and a dark blue baggy shirt out of the drawers. They were much too big for Keira, probably because they were for Ollie, Jak thought.

"Good. I need you to hold Keira's body as I undress and redress her," Cara told Jak. Jak once again blushed, but nodded. He stood behind Keira and sat next to her. He positioned her on his lap and undid the straps of her overalls. He then closed his eyes as he felt Cara remove the pants. As they came off, Jak could feel Keira's legs right against his. He noticed how smooth they felt, not to mention muscular. He wondered how Keira got so in-shape and made a mental note to ask her when she woke up.

"Okay Jak, stand up," Cara said as she pulled the soaking wet pants off and threw them on the floor. Jak stood up, eyes still tightly closed and lifted Keira about an inch off the ground. Cara pulled the sweat pants all the way up and tied them so they wouldn't fall down. Jak at down again and opened his eyes as Keira shuddered slightly. He gazed at her for a split second before he saw Cara put her hands under Keira's shirt and pulled up. Jak closed his eyes again as Keira leaned back after the undressing and he felt her back against his chest. Cara pulled Keira forward and unhooked the strange piece of clothing Jak felt going across Keira's back. Cara looked up at Jak and half smiled, half smirked.

"Here's a guy whose made out with Keira, and yet he's so uncomfortable about taking her shirt off even when she has clothing on underneath. He really is innocent," she thought as she pulled on the shirt. After Keira was dressed, Cara tapped Jak on the shoulder and told him he could open his eyes. Jak laid Keira down and quickly left the room, his face a perfect imitation of a ball of Red Eco.

Jak breathed deeply as he walked out onto the deck of the ship. He had never seen Keira wearing anything less than a bathing suit that one day on the beach, and he had just been forced to hold her while she was undressed. Jak thanked the Precursors that Cara had thought to send Daxter out of the room. His friend would have loved to have been there, yet Jak, even after holding Keira while she was half-naked, still had no idea why Daxter enjoyed looking at females. As the sea air cleared his head and his face returned to its normal tanned look, Jak decided that his friend was merely weird and that he (Jak) was normal. After all, women were just like men, save for the chest and the lower half of them.

* * *

"WHAT!" Daxter screamed at Cara. "You're tellin' me that Jak got to hold Keira while you dressed her?" He shouted. Cara glared at the rodent: Keira had told her about what a shameless pervert he was.

"Listen rat, you friend was sick and she needed to get out of her clothes. Since Jak knew her the longest _and isn't obsessed with seeing her naked_, I chose him to help me."

"Damn it Jak, what I wouldn't give to see what you saw," Daxter muttered as he glared at Cara, who smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"Actually, Jak didn't see a thing. He kept his eyes closed the whole time."

"You're joking right?"

"No. But I want to ask you something."

"Why Cara, I'd be more than happy to go out with you. I knew you couldn't resist such an _animal_," Daxter said while narrowing his eyes and sliding his hands down his chest. Cara rolled his eyes at him and shook her head.

"No you idiot. I was thinking: does Jak like Keira?"

"Of course. Why? Do you like Jak?" Daxter said slyly.

"No," Cara said, her face not turning even light pink. Daxter noticed this and decided if she could say that without blushing even slightly, then she must be telling the truth. "It's just… Jak seemed really uncomfortable with Keira getting undressed near him. I thought that he would liked to see her still half clothed, but he acted like he couldn't wait to get out of here." Daxter whistled softly, as his suspicion about Jak was finally confirmed.

"Well, If you're wondering if Jak likes Keira, watch how he looks at her. He loves Keira. It's not so much that he doesn't want to see her without clothes, it's just, he doesn't think it's proper. You see, he never knew his parents, and his uncle raised him. Jak had the message that 'the female body is sacred and should never be looked at without proper clothing,'" Daxter quoted, imitating Jak's uncle's accent perfectly. "So ever since then he has never looked at Keira unless she's clothed, or in a bathing suit or she said he could. Plus, I don't think he's fully grown up, if you know what I mean," Daxter finished. Cara looked confused at the final statement and Daxter rolled his eyes. "You know, hit that age where he _wants_ to see Keira when she isn't fully clothed."

"Oh. So he's normal, he just hasn't hit puberty."

"Pretty much."

Veston walked in and Daxter and Cara both went quiet, a mutual agreement that since what they discussed wasn't important, they didn't have to repeat it for Veston.

* * *

"So Jak, how has fortune treated you lately. Ah, but that's a silly question. With the opening of the Silos, your life can't have been very peaceful lately," Sett mused. Jak nodded, but thought that his life _had_ improved greatly. Not only were he and Keira much closer, but he had found out that there were more civilizations than anyone had thought, and made two new friends who were Channelers. He looked at Sett and pointed at his former teacher before spreading his arms apart and bringing his palms together.

"Ah yes. I suppose I should tell everyone," Sett said as he spun the wheel slightly to the left. Jak nodded and went below. He got everyone to follow him and brought them all up to Sett.

"I suppose that I should start at the beginning. This is my true form. No, I'm not kidding," he added as Jak's mouth dropped and Daxter opened his to talk. Cara and Veston did not seem surprised, as they had never seem him when he was a towering six feet six inches.

"I was born with a defect that stunted my growth and prevented my muscles from developing beyond a certain point. When I was twelve, I decided to take up sword training . Because of my size, I was only accepted in one school. I learned a form called Makashi, and I proved to be most excellent. In fact, within six months I was just as good as the teacher. I politely left the school and moved on to learn another form. It was the same with Jar-Kai and Shien. I mastered both of them and was considered to be the best swordsman at the age of fifteen.

After mastering the three prominent forms on our continent, I decided that what I needed was to make as form of my own. This was partly out of arrogance, as I wanted to be remembered, but it was mostly out of a determination to show that though I was born with a defect, I was not only capable of learning sword techniques, but of creating them as well. I created a form called Wushu, which I have never taught to anyone, but I have always used it. I love it because people other than me can use it, if I could find someone to teach it to. It is very acrobatic and very articulate when slowed down. Spinning, jumping very high and running very fast is what differentiates this form from all others. Due to its aggressive nature, it is an excellent form to use against single enemies. I know for a fact that others might find it leaves the user open to attacks from multiple opponents and so decide that it is wise to use Wushu in a duel, but not in open warfare. I have found that by extending one's awareness and reflexes, this form can bring down armies. I took down seventy Lurkers that ambushed me on my way to The City of the Sky. The key to Wushu is emotional control, as is letting one's emotions fly free.

After creating my own sword, I went on a journey to Pampas Islet. I visited Tarea and inquired about a sword created by the Precursors that I had heard about. According to legend, it had the power to harness Eco and change its shape based on the wielder's desire. She told me that the only reference she could find was that of 'an island swathed in light and darkness.' Naturally, I had no idea what that meant, so I decided to visit Samos. I arrived when Keira was three and Daxter was four. You might remember that you dropped a box on me and laughed at how I could fit in it." Everyone looked at Daxter, who appeared to be thinking hard.

"Oh yeah. But then you stuffed me in the box and pointed out that I could too," he grumbled. Jak smiled while Cara and Veston snorted in laughter. Sett chuckled and continued with his tale.

"Anyway, Samos theorized that I needed to find somewhere that was brightly lit yet plagued by darkness. He would not reveal the location of such a place to me, saying that the Precursors hid such a powerful weapon for a reason. As I left your village, I spotted Misty Island. I decided that going there might provide me with a clue, since it was an island. As I arrived there, I noticed that the perpetual mist seemed to be bright, but the island itself was rich in Dark Eco. I decided that this must be the place and after a week of searching, found the Precursor Blade. After leaving the island, I decided to show it to my father. He had moved to The City of The Sky, so I decided to take a pilgrimage there.

When I arrived in The City of The Sky, Lurkers were raiding it. So I decided to use my form to hold them off. Unfortunately, I saw my father be eaten alive by a Lurker Troll and I became enraged. I lost control over my emotions and began slaughtering them. That wouldn't have been a problem, except that I got carried away and wound up killing fifteen people. Sage Plagueis, the ruler of The City of the Sky, happened to be related to one of the families I had killed. He gave me a potion that took away the very things that made me a master of Wushu. I went back home ashamed of myself and vowed never to lose control again. I was not so foolish that I would give up swordsmanship completely: I knew I could still do good with the blade.

A month later, I was summoned to The City of The Sky by Plagueis. He told me that he had decided to reverse the transformation. Upon arriving in the city, I was blamed for causing the death of the Dark Sage, who was cut to pieces in his sleep. I was exiled and I returned home once more."

Silence accompanied the tale. Jak thought that the story made sense, since Gol had admitted to Margaret and Benedict that he had murdered the former Dark Sage and took his place.

"We need to get ready," Cara said. "With this ship's speed, we should arrive in Sandover in a few hours."

Everyone got up and began doing something. Jak and Veston gripped the ropes on the sail and pulled on them to straighten the slackening cloth. Cara took over the wheel while Sett climbed the mast into the crow's nest and played lookout. Bryan stood still, as he knew nothing about ships, until Cara saw him and yelled at him to do something.

"I don't know what to do!"

"Can you cook?"

"Yes," Bryan responded, slightly defensively.

"Good. Go and cook dinner for later: we won't arrive in Sandover until dawn." Bryan nodded and went off to the kitchens. When he arrived he looked in the pantry and discovered not only meat, but vegetables as well.

"Hmm. I'm thinking of making some chicken francese," he thought to himself as he gathered the necessary ingredients.

"Good job Jak," Veston said as they finally got the sails right. "Thanks for the help, but I can handle it from here. Why don't you go in and keep an eye on Keira; we don't want her getting any worse." Jak nodded and went inside. He sat down next to Keira and placed her head in his lap. He looked down at her and stroked her hair, hoping that she would pull out this illness soon. If she remained unconscious much longer than it would be harder to re-hydrate her. As it was, all he could do was put a cool compress on her forehead and allow the water to soak through her skin and cool her burning body.

Keira moaned slightly and worded something with her lips. Jak leaned closer, hoping that she was trying to talk. "Jak…" she moaned before slipping back into her dreams. Jak frowned: he had been hoping she would wake up.

* * *

"Hey Cara! Let me know when you want dinner." Bryan shouted as he went back up deck after gathering all the ingredients.

"I dunno. Maybe in half an hour," she shouted back as she struggled to keep the ship in the right direction: a strong wind had picked up, trying to blow the ship off course to the west.

"I'll start it now then," he hollered over the sound of the wind. He went below the deck and back into the kitchen. He grabbed apiece of raw chicken and began slicing it into strips about a quarter of an inch thick. He found a frying pan and placed it over the stove. As he put enough oil only to coat the bottom of the pan, Bryan wondered how Ollie could have saved up enough for a metal pan. Around Sandover, metal was a rare commodity and was therefore very expensive. If only there was a way to manipulate Precursor metal, then metal would be cheaper than food.

His train of thought moved to Lauren as his hands took on a life of their own, as they always did when he was cooking. He thought back to only a month before Jak and Keira had returned. He had just gotten up the courage to ask Lauren to marry him. Just his luck, that evening, there was an earthquake and then the moon came up, red as blood. And then the next day, the sun had been black. He remembered how almost that day, plants had stopped growing so fast.

All this time, his hands had kept busy, first cracking an egg, then beating it with one hand while the other coated the chicken with a thin layer of flour. A smell reached his nose and Bryan turned around to see that the oil was smoking. He lowered the heat on the stove and dipped the chicken in the raw egg, making sure that everything was fully coated. He turned the heat back up as he put the egg coated chicken in the oil, smiling slightly as he heard the sizzling sound of the egg hitting the oil. He got half a dozen lemons and three cups of grape juice (again, where had Ollie gotten the funds to get all this food?) out of the cupboard and chopped the lemons in half before squeezing their juices into a cup and collecting about four ounces of lemon juice. He stuck his finger in the juice and tasted it, surprised at the taste. He looked at the mixture in surprise: this must be what that merchant had called "wine." Supposedly, all one had to do was squeeze the juice out of grapes and then put it in a basement for a while.

"That's how that old fisherman got all this stuff," Bryan thought to himself as he sampled the wine again. It had a bitter taste, but the aftertaste was sweet in his mouth. "The merchant said he had a fisherman cousin n our village, and that they were working on a project together." Bryan flipped the chicken, happy to see that he had timed it just right and had flipped it when it was golden brown. He waited sixty seconds and removed the chicken before covering it so it wouldn't get cold. He then poured the wine and the lemon juice into the sizzling pan and added half a handful of salt and pepper. As he mix the two repelling liquids, they eventually emulzified into a deep golden sauce. Bryan stuck his finger in the sauce and tasted it, since he was not used to making anything with wine. Normally, he used thin grape juice that had something else in it, he couldn't remember the name of the special ingredient.

Bryan poured the sauce over the meat and covered the entire thing before ringing the ship's bell, signaling that dinner was ready. Jak, Daxter, Cara, Veston and (to Bryan's delight) Lauren came in, he last one looking sleepy and slightly disoriented. Bryan filled her in on all that had happened and on Sett's story as they ate. Just as Bryan had hoped, the meal was delicious.

"Where is Sett anyway?" Lauren asked as she ate her fourth piece of chicken. Jak and Bryan had stopped at three pieces, Daxter at one, and Cara and Veston at two each. "What?" she asked as she cut up her serving and began eating it. There was just something about the sea air that made her hungry. Whenever she was out at sea, Lauren could eat more than a full-grown man.

"He said for me to come down while he steered the ship," Cara said as she filled her glass full of water. "I didn't want to at first, but he argued and then I smelled what Bryan had cooked, so I decided to come down."

"That was nice of-" Lauren's compliment was thrown off as the entire ship tilted to the side. In an instant, Jak, Cara and Veston had risen and were above deck, with Lauren and Bryan not too far behind.

What they saw disgusted them. A massive octopus had surfaced and was trying to destroy the ship. Sett was using his Wushu form to stave off the tentacles. Jak appreciated the beauty of Sett's form: his attacks, parried, thrusts and blocks were graceful and fluid, efficient and stunning. In short, Sett's fight was every bit as deadly as it were amazing to watch. Jak tore his eyes away from the splendid sight to the octopus. Branching off the eight giant tentacles were about two dozen smaller tentacles. And by smaller, they were about the thickness of Jak's body. After about five minutes, during which no one could do anything but stare as Sett staved off the octopus. After losing about half its body, apparently the octopus decided that the ship wasn't worth it and retreated. Sett sheathed his sword and turned around to see everyone looking at him. Jak's sharp eyes saw movement coming from the bottom of the deck and pointed, hoping Sett would turn around.

What happened next took only a second, but it seemed to last an eternity.

As Sett turned, seven tentacles burst forth from the water and wrapped themselves around his body so tightly that Sett could not touch his sword. He struggled for a second before he was pulled off the ship. Everyone ran to the edge and watched in horror as Sett was dragged down to the bottom of the ocean.

Everyone stared in horror as Sett screamed at them to stop Gol.

"Hey everyone, where are we?" a soft voice asked. Jak turned around and saw Keira, swaying slightly, holding her stomach with a grimace and looking around confused. Jak ran over to her and hugged her close to him and lifted her in the air while spinning around. He carried her inside and sat her down. He pushed the remaining half dozen pieces of chick francese towards her. Keira grabbed a piece with her fingers and began eating it. As she reached for a second piece, Jak grabbed her wrist and she looked up. He stared at her before taking her palm and drawing in it.

"Why… didn't you… eat any… thing while… we were on… that island?" Keira looked up at him guiltily after repeating his question out loud. "Well, on the second day, when I prepared the food, I was looking at the portions and realized that even if we ate the bare minimum, one person would have to starve his or herself. And I know I should have chosen Daxter, since he's the smallest. But all I could think was if I didn't eat, then everyone else would be happy and okay. Everyday after that, whenever there was extra food, I gave it to you Jak. I just wanted you to be healthy." Jak shook his head at Keira's foolishness and handed her the plate of food. He stood up to get Keira a glass of water and heard her apologize softly.

Jak turned around and gave Keira the water, watching her gulp it greedily down. He got her another glass and watched as she finished the meal. As she put her fourth glass of water down, Jak leaned forward and pushed his lips onto hers.

"Go Jak! Slip her the tongue!" Daxter whistled from the floor. Jak and Keira broke apart and Keira looked at Jak, her face redder than it had been when she was sick. Jak was blushing as well, embarrassed that Daxter had caught them together, but he was also puzzled by what Daxter meant by slipping her his tongue. He shook his head and simply passed it off as Daxter being weird. Keira let out a yawn and Jak picked her up and brought her to her bed. He laid her down and sat down next to her, watching as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

The next day, the entire company disembarked and they went back to Samos' hut.

"So, what's the plan from here?" Bryan asked.

"What else. Me, Jak, Margaret and Daxter go back north and try to find a way to close the Silos." At this announcement from Keira, there were protests from five people.

"Why can't me and Cara come?" Veston asked furiously.

"Me and Veston aren't invited because…?" Cara asked as she glared at the three of them.

"I'm coming with you guys whether you like it or not!" Bryan stated as he crossed his arms.

"You aren't stopping me from coming either!" Lauren shouted, taking a similar stance to Bryan's.

"When did you guys plan on telling me you were back, and why are you with the pirates?" Margaret called from the doorway. Keira ran up to Margaret and pulled the Amplifier into a bone-crushing hug. Margaret gasped for breath and Keira let go of her friend before explaining what had transpired over the past five days, with help from Cara and Veston.

"I didn't know Gol's reach stretched that far," Margaret said softly.

"Well, it does," Cara said a bit too shortly. "And can you now tell us why Veston and I apparently aren't welcome to join you?"

"Or me or Bryan?" Lauren added hotly.

"Let's see. Lauren, you know I love you and Bryan like family, but you guys aren't Channelers."

"Neither are you," Bryan retorted.

"But I build stuff for Jak and everyone else," Keira said calmly.

"But I can cook and use a sword," Bryan said.

"And I'm a better marksman then you," Lauren added. Keira sighed, but didn't want to argue. And the two of them had a point: they could be useful in and out of a fight.

"All right, you can come."

"Great, but what about us?" Veston asked.

"I didn't want to force you guys to come. You helped us, we helped you, so I thought that you weren't obligated to come with us," Keira said.

"But I want to come,. Now that I know the truth about Gol, how could I live with myself if I didn't join you guys?" Cara asked.

"Ditto for me," Veston added.

"All right, then you guys are welcome to join us," Daxter spoke up.

"Anyway, where would we go?" Veston asked, sadness creeping into his voice. "We were banished." To this inquiry, Jak spread his arms, making it perfectly clear that the two Channelers would have been more than welcome to stay here. Keira sighed and leaned back, rubbing behind her temples to alleviate a headache that was growing.

"Keira what's wrong?" Margaret asked. Keira looked up at her friend and opened her eyes.

"I could ask you the same thing. Something is bothering you: what is it?"

"Nothing," Margaret said defensively.

"Don't lie to us baby," Daxter said angrily.

"Well…" Margaret said hesitantly before telling them about Benedict's redemption and the note she had found.

"Wait a second. Whose Benedict?" Cara asked. Keira filled her in on what Benedict's life had consisted of. "So he's good again?" Margaret nodded. "But what's this note?" Margaret showed the party a piece of paper, which had small burn marked that reeked of Dark Eco.

"Dear Margaret,

By the time you read this, I will be dead. I have finally thought of a way to repent for all the sins I have committed. The reason I could wield Dark Eco was because Maia sowed a Dark Eco Seed into my heart. You know that; you pulled it out.

As its removed, the seed puts out a poison that causes my body to explode within exactly seventy two hours. I have decided to go to their Citadel. I plan to fight Maia. I don't expect to win, but as long as I can weaken her slightly and hang on to her as I explode, I'll take her down with me.

Sorry about all the trouble I have caused. Warn Jak that Gol plans to infiltrate his mind the way he did to me and try to seduce Jak to the dark side of the elfin nature.

Let Keira know that the Zoomer we got from her in Rock Village is still intact. Gol plans to take it apart on November seventh to find out how it works. To cross the Fire Canyon without it, go to the Forbidden Jungle. There's a special rock there that is soft as clay. If it heats up, it gets harder and less dense. You can make a raft out of it and it will float and protect you from the heat. That is how Gol will supply the Lurkers if they take over the town.

I'm sorry about all I have done,

Benedict."

Margaret read this note out loud, and when she was done, everyone was silent.

"He really was a good person," Daxter said. Everyone nodded.

"November seventh…" Keira muttered to herself. "But that gives us three days! What are we gonna do?"

"Its obvious isn't it? We have to get this clay, make a raft, and get to Rock Village before tomorrow night," Veston said. Jak nodded before standing up and pointing at Veston. "You want me to come with you?" Jak nodded and Veston clasped Jak's hand. Jak pulled Veston up and they got ready to go to the Forbidden Jungle. He gave Keira a kiss on the lips before leaving.

"Come back safe Jak," Keira thought as she watched him and Veston enter the forest five minutes later…

* * *

Well, here it is. I hope it was okay, since I typed it up Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. Sorry there wasn't a lot of action this time: I figured I needed to move the plot along, and its harder for me to do so when there's battles going on. Now, for those of you wondering where Sett came from, its simple. He secretly boarded the _Apprehender_ when Jak and Keira went chasing after Cara and Veston. He remained on the ship and followed them to the island. By the time he arrived there, Jak and everyone else had already been banished. Sett went around looking for them and saw the island. He noticed the smoke rising from the fire at night and decided to go there. Also, if you are wondering why I put so much detail into Jak being in the same room as Keira when she was getting undressed and redressed, I did it for a reason. Though Jak has killed, hated, been angry, and even been briefly mentally connected with Gol, he still is an innocent person. I debated putting that scene in at first, but decided that it would be a good idea to show that Jak has only pure thoughts of Keira, and that he thinks even making out with her is slightly perverted. The reason for that is he just hasn't fully hit puberty, like Cara and Daxter said. He's noticed Keira, but due to his naivety and the fact that he doesn't know anything about how children arrive, he never thought about Keira in that way. So, I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter, and next chapter, Jak will get everyone what they need and everyone will make their way across Fire Canyon, where another Channeler will make his (or her) debut. Here's hoping I can make the journey into the jungle a good chapter.

* * *

My Favorite Authors (They are listed alphabetically, not by preference.)

1. Amathist Fwirrel

2. animedragongirl

3. Keeroshu

4. Light-Eco-Sage

5. Red Mage 04

6. Silver-WindScar

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Quote of the week- Me

Me: Rule #8 of Life (Inspired by Victor Frankl): To live is to suffer. To survive is to find meaning in the suffering.


	40. Dark Assassins

URGENT NOTICE: Due to GoodMorningBeautiful2005 warning me that I can only post fifty chapters, I am going to cut this off at Chapter 30 and repost everything under Light Amongst Shadows. So if you get a bunch of email letting you know that I posted a new chapter and story, ignore them except for the new one. Just delete ten and open one. Sorry for this inconvenience, and thanks GoodMorningBeautiful2005 for warning me about this in advance before I hit chapter fifty and had to do more work.

* * *

As usual, here are the responses to the reviews you all so kindly gave me; in case there was an emailing error and you did not receive them.

Silver-WindScar- Glad you enjoyed it, and I'm not so much concerned about _when_ you review as much as the fact that you do. I love receiving input from any writers, and especially esteemed and talented ones. Thanks for the compliment on the Rule of Life. I don't know about addictive, or even that good, but thank you for complimenting my writing skills. I hope you finish that chapter soon and update it.

GoodMorningBeautiful2005- Thanks for the compliment, and thanks very much for the heads up on the chapter limit. If I can only do fifty, I'm going to have to cut this off at Battles For Weyard and start a new book like I had originally intended. Thanks very much for the heads up and I can't wait to see an update of anything you work on.

CrazyOttsel- Glad you liked the chapter, and its all right that you didn't review both chapters. That would have been nice, but a little redundant. And yes, I deliberately made Benedict's note too late, but the point was to show that he had even overcome his resentment and jealousy of Jak enough to try to help him out. I like that motto.

Red Mage 04- I hope you didn't get a flu shot. I hate them: they give you a cold for 365 days. You always wake up, and you never have the flu, because you always have a cold. Of course, you get to do NyQuil… Getting distracted, sorry. I'm glad I blended the different elements together, as I did not want one lacking and another dominating. As for Daxter, when _isn't_ he a pervert? Glad you're looking forward to the next chapter, because you get a glimpse of a new Channeler. I wont say much, but she was the first one to volunteer, so for anyone reading this, you know who you are. I hope you update as well: I want to see how Vegar reacts to Jak's returning.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but I take small comfort in the fact I can play the games whenever I please.

* * *

Dark Assassins

"Wow," Veston breathed as he entered the Forbidden Jungle, amazed at the beauty. "There's so much greenery," he said softly, as though he feared disturbing the tranquility that one felt upon entering the forest.

"You act as though you've never seen a jungle before," Daxter remarked. Jak agreed: Veston was overreacting to the forest. Sure, it was beautiful, Jak thought, but the way Veston was acting, one would think he had never seen more then three trees at once.

"Never one as big as this," Veston said as he put a hand on a tree, his hand looking small next to the seven foot trunk. He took his hand off and focused his mind on the upcoming task. "So where exactly is this stuff we're looking for?" Jak and Daxter looked at each other before looking at Veston and shrugging.

"You don't even know?" Veston asked disbelievingly.

"Why should we?" Daxter countered hotly. "It's called _Forbidden_ Jungle, genius. I've been here three times, including this one." Jak looked at his friend curiously: he had been under the impression that the first time Daxter had entered this place had been back when they had gone the Blue Eco Temple. Daxter looked at his friend rather sheepishly. "I followed you and Keira here a year ago. I think I might have ruined the moment by mistake." Jak's eyes widened as he remembered…

* * *

"Jak, are you sure we should be here?" Keira asked nervously as she followed Jak into the forest. Jak turned around and grinned while nodding his head. Though it was forbidden for any to enter unless they were of age, Jak had been sneaking in here for three years. He wanted to take Keira to a place he was sure she would enjoy. He pointed to a tall rock that stuck up above the trees. Keira's eyes widened in fear as she looked at how tall the small mountain was.

"You want me to go up there?" she squeaked. Jak nodded enthusiastically. As they began to climb the mountain, Jak was pleased to see Keira relaxing as she climbed. He kept an eye on her, making sure she was above him. In case she slipped and fell, he would be able to grab her and help her before she hit the ground. As Keira pulled herself over the top, Jak followed and quickly tapped her on the shoulder. He gave her a red bandanna, instructing her to cover her eyes and let him lead her. Keira did so without hesitation; she knew Jak would die before he allowed her to come to harm.

Jak led her across the precarious plateau, lifting her off the ground when it got too uneven for his liking. He got behind her as they neared the edge and put his hands on her shoulders to stop her from going forward. Keira bent her head and removed the blindfold, opening her eyes slowly.

"Oh Jak," she breathed in wonderment. Birds flew across a pink and yellow sky as the bright sun set on the horizon. The trees were dark, only enhancing the brightness of the sky. Clouds that were near the bottom of the sun looked like giant fluffy animals that glowed pink and yellow hues. Jak smiled, glad that he had found a way to both impress and please Keira. She looked at him, her eyes twinkling and shining. Jak took a step forward, his azure gaze locked with her emerald one. Her wrapped his arms around her waist and let his hands settle on her back and she gently touched his shoulders and pulled herself closer. Jak lowered his face onto hers as Keira raised herself up on her tiptoes. Both of their hearts began to pump faster as their lips got closer and closer.

A resounding crash made the two of them jump. Jak look around, his eyes trying to find the source of the noise that had interrupted his special moment with Keira. He looked down and saw that the mountain had begun to crumble away. Jak grabbed Keira around the waist and pulled her closer her close as the slab they were standing separated and began to slide down the small cliff. Jak kept shifting his weight to keep his balance as they neared the ground. Just before the rock impacted, Jak leapt up into the air as hard as he could. His efforts pushed the rock onto the ground even harder, but it also delayed his landing. He and Keira both landed as though they had jumped from a foot high step.

Jak looked around and thought he saw a red creature dart through the trees. Before he could persist, however, a roar made him turn around. He saw a Lurker Ram buried underneath the rockslide. As it roared again, it breathed for the last time in its life. Jak looked at Keira and ran over to her when he saw her lying on the ground. He relaxed when he realized that she had only fainted from the ordeal. He sighed and picked her up, the mood ruined as he walked back to the village, not looking forward to have to have to explain this incident to Samos…

* * *

A sudden suspicion entered Jak's mind as he remembered the long ears and matted red hair that he had glimpsed that day as he looked at his friend.

"Yeah, it was me. I wanted to see what you guys were up to and the Lurker Ram attacked and I ran away," Jak raised his eyebrows and Daxter quickly continued. "I ran to take care of the twenty other Lurker Rams that would've ambushed you if it weren't for me." Jak shook his head along with Veston as they continued on their way, unaware that a person dressed in dark green was following them, a katana strapped to his back…

* * *

Margaret sighed as she looked out the window. "What's wrong?" Keira asked as she sat down with a mug of hot chocolate. She wasn't a fan of coffee or tea, but the weather had gotten so cold due to the rapidly approaching winter that she needed something to warm her up.

"Nothing," Margaret mumbled.

"C'mon Margaret, you know you can tell me anything," Keira said, trying to coax her friend, who was obviously upset, into revealing what was wrong. "Is it Benedict?"

"Sort of," the Channeler mumbled.

"Then what is it?"

"I don't have anyone!" Margaret sighed sadly.

"What do you mean? Me, Jak, Daxter, Lauren, Bryan, Cara and Veston are here for you."

"And that's the problem," Margaret grumbled.

"What's that means?" Cara asked as she came out of her bedroom. Keira had allowed her to sleep in her kid room, before she had moved downstairs to be closer to the garage.

"Everyone has someone… but me."

"What do you mean?" Lauren asked as she came out of the bathroom, combing her long blonde hair.

"Keira has Jak, and I'm happy for you. He's a great guy, and he really likes you. You have Bryan, and I'm happy for you guys too. Cara has Veston, maybe not as an item, but you guys have each other to talk to."

"Look Margaret, you'll find someone. Everyone always does. Me and Jak have been together forever," Keira said, trying to consol her friend.

"So have me and Bryan," Lauren added.

"And me and Veston have known each other for seven years," Cara joined in.

"Trust me, somewhere out there is a man for everyone," Keira said as she put her hands on Margaret's shoulder. Margaret offered a small smile. "And I feel sorry for the one who gets Daxter," Keira added. Margaret chuckled and looked much better with a smile on her soft face. "C'mon girls," Keira said as she stood up, "I got an idea for a project."

* * *

A crack resounded and echoed through the damaged Citadel as Gol arrived, the Dark Eco in his system already having headed the wounds he had sustained by Jak. "That miserable Channeler," Gol grumbled as he opened his eyes. "He'll pay for this when I…" Gol trailed off as he surveyed the destruction of the throne room. Chairs were smashed, the walls were damaged (one was completely destroyed) the throne chairs were now a pile of ashes, and there were scorch marks all over the floor and ceiling.

"What in the name of Legatee happened here?" Gol asked nothing in particular as he noticed a twenty-foot crater in the corner. The explosion had been so big that it had blasted apart the floor, cracked the ceiling, and done damaged to the floors of the lower level. He saw a light in the corner and saw that he had a prisoner. "He had better know what happened here," Gol snarled as he teleported himself to the dungeons.

* * *

Jak held up his hand and Veston stopped instantly, his body being used to following orders as soon as they were given. Jak looked around suspiciously at the surroundings, his sixth sense giving him an uneasy feeling.

"I don't get it Jak. It seems nice and quiet to me," Veston whispered as he walked up to Jak.

"Exactly," Jak thought as he looked around. "The forest is _never_ this quiet unless there's an intruder." He closed his eyes and tried to stretch out and get a sense of his surroundings using his hearing and other senses. He heard a branch snap back and grabbed Veston before leaping back. A man dressed in white and black robes landed in front of them, two Eco Sabers embedded in the ground exactly where Jak had been a second ago.

"Which one of you is Jak?" the man said in a hissing voice as he pulled his weapons out of the ground. Jak noticed that they were dark purple, quickly sending any theories that the man was here to only test his skill out the window. He stepped forward and turned on his Yellow Eco Box, summoning an Eco Blade. The man darted ahead, aiming at Jak without another word. Jak quickly parried the incoming attacks, finding it highly difficult. The man was extremely quick, and in addition to that, he liked to attack from both sides. Jak turned on his Blue Eco Box and was able to level the playing field for a few seconds.

Within thirty seconds, Jak was again struggling to keep up with the mysterious assassin. Jak wondered how the man had gotten such a dramatic increase in speed as he once again struggled to keep up with them man. Jak leapt back and checked his Blue Eco Box to see if the reason he was having trouble was because he had ran out of Eco. Jak was shocked to see the readout drop by one percent every three seconds. Jak looked at his enemy to see that one of his hands was covered in a sheet of metal- and that it was glowing. Jak turned his Eco Box off and the metal stopped glowing.

"So I was right," Jak thought as he rushed back in to face the mysterious assailant. "He was draining my Eco. I wonder how much he got before I stopped him." Jak kept his attack up, doing much better now that the man was using only one Saber. As Jak swung down, the man parried Jak off to the side and stuck out his metal hand. A shockwave came out and blasted Jak back twenty feet, where he only stopped because his back came into contact with a tree. Veston leapt in as Jak got up, and the assassin quickly brushed him aside by moving a finger of the metal hand.

"I wonder if he's really a Channeler," Jak thought as he got to his feet. The man seemed only able to harness the Eco by moving the hand. Jak wondered whether the machine might not be the source of the man's power. Jak leapt over another shockwave with his Blue Eco Box and rushed in as he landed. As he got closer, the man stuck out his hand and Jak was hit by an invisible wall. He hovered in midair and watched as the man drained the last of his Blue Eco. He threw Jak into a tangle of thorns and Jak winced as the barbs cut is skin superficially. Veston rushed in and tried unsuccessfully to out maneuver his enemy. Jak tried to get Veston's attention as he saw his friend turn on his Blue Eco Box, but it was pointless: he couldn't move very fast if he didn't want to get hurt. Jak gritted his teeth and ripped his way out, wincing as the sharp needles dug and ripped his skin.

Unfortunately, it was too late. Jak was suspended in the air again as the man floated Veston in the air. He placed his hand on the Blue Eco Box and Jak watched as blue electricity flowed through the entire arm. When he was done, he threw Veston aside and walked over to where Jak was hanging in the air.

"Sorry about this Jak," the man said softly as he raised his metal hand and spread his thumb and pointer, "but I cannot allow you to live," he finished as he closed his fingers together. Instantly, Jak's windpipe was crushed and he gasped for breath. After thirty seconds, Jak's head began to spin, the lack of oxygen getting to him. A roar followed by a gasp of pain preceded Jak falling to the ground. He looked up and saw the man clutching his left hand: the one covered in metal. Bryan attacked again with his katana, but the assassin had regained his senses and dodged out of the way. He tried to blast Bryan back, but Bryan had remained in the shadows and had studied the assassin's patterns instead of attacking right away. It paid off, since he knew where the man was going to strike next.

The assassin leapt back and was tackled to the ground by Jak. The Channeler raised his Eco Blade, but was blasted upwards by the man. He landed by Veston and the two were shocked by Blue Lightning before they could react. After ten seconds, the assassin was confident they would be paralyzed long enough. He turned around and punched Bryan in the gut with his metal hand. The force plus a blast sent Bryan flying back, his hand dropping his katana. The assassin shot a blast of Blue Lightning and Bryan stuck out his hand as though that would strop the attack.

Miraculously, it did.

Bryan opened his eyes and saw something he had never seen before: a blade made out of Blue Eco. He swung it back and forth in amazement a few times.

"Damn, another one," the assassin cursed before shooting a torrent of Blue Lightning at Bryan. The adolescent stretched out his other hand and though the electricity came within a millimeter of his skin, it did not make contact. Rather, it surrounded and was absorbed into Bryan's palm. Bryan closed his eyes and concentrated on the power he felt inside of him. He extended his hand and a blast of air shot forth. The assassin barely dodged it, and as he rolled to the ground, a tree falling to the ground testified to the power Bryan now controlled.

Jak snapped back to reality after realizing that his nearly lifelong friend must be a Channeler. He began to rush forward, but Veston stopped him.

"Let me handle this," Veston said before summoning a Red Eco Blade. He smashed it into the ground and a ten-foot wall of flames shot up. Jak looked at him, but Veston looked very calm. "Don't worry: it won't spread unless I want it to. I'm just using it as a distraction." Jak nodded and they ran to Bryan.

"Lets go, blue boy," Daxter shouted as they got closer.

"No. You guys go ahead. I'll stay behind and try to stave this guy off as long as I can." Jak shook his head, but Bryan glared at him. "If I can defeat him, fine. But if not, then at least I'll have given you guys some time and he'll have killed the least talented among us." Jak reluctantly turned away, but not before putting his hand on Bryan's shoulder and smiling softly. Bryan smiled back and softly said, "get going before he gets past those flames." Jak nodded and he and Veston rushed into the forest.

Bryan turned around and watched as the man, outlined in black behind the flames, opened a small gap in the blaze. He stepped through and closed the gap.

"Come, fledgling. I'll deal with you before I kill Jak," he hissed as he put his hands on his belts and grabbed the hilts before straightening his arms and turning on his dark Eco Sabers. Bryan stared at the man and the two of them rushed at each other simultaneously, screaming battle cries at the top of their lungs…

* * *

"Why are you here?" Gol hissed as he struck Hatu with more Lightening. Hatu screamed as the power washed over him, causing waves of agony to crash over his body. Gol ceased his attack and Hatu gasped for breath, grateful for the respite, no matter how brief it might be. "So, you are determined to keep silent?" Gol said in a menacing tone as Hatu focused on Gol and spit on the floor at his feet.

"Fine!" Gol snapped as he put his hands on Hatu's temples. Gol closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to penetrate Hatu's admirable mental defenses. At last, he saw what he needed. Gol's brow furrowed as he concentrated on transferring the knowledge from Hatu's mind to his own. So intent was he on ripping the data from Hatu's mind that he didn't notice the change in mental patterns coming from Hatu's brain…

* * *

"That was noble of him," Veston said as he and Jak rushed through the forest, eager to put as much distance between the killer and themselves in the hope that the assassin would tire from Bryan and come after them. Jak nodded and Daxter didn't bother responding, as he was concentrating on hanging onto Jak's hair as they leapt into trees and began traveling like primates: swinging on vines and launching themselves off of tree branches. They landed after traveling like this for about a half an hour with nothing more eventful happening then a branch under Jak snapping and Veston grabbing a snake instead of a vine one time.

"Hey Jak, do you have any idea where the clay might be?" Jak shook his head as they landed on the ground, both of them too preoccupied with their problems that they hadn't noticed they hadn't landed on ground.

"Hey Veston," Daxter said, trying to keep the panic and fear out of his voice.

"Yeah?"

"What is it, that's not exactly water, but it ain't exactly earth?"

"QUICKSAND!" they both shouted, disturbing birds and other small woodland creatures that were running around, desperately trying to gather a bit more food before the winter truly began.

Jak looked around and tried to get his foot out of the quicksand, but to no avail. As he struggled on the force that was creeping up to his torso, he remembered what he had done in the early summer when he had been on his way to the Blue Eco Temple. Jak relaxed and mimicked his actions by calming down and held his breath, forcing himself to stay calm as he floated agonizingly slowly to the surface. He then lightly paddled his way to the edge and turned around. Unfortunately, Veston was thrashing around in an attempt to get out of the deadly environment. Ironically, such actions were causing him to sink even faster.

* * *

"So, what are we doing here?" Cara asked as they returned to where the battle had been waged a week ago.

"Now, don't freak out, but I want to collect some Dark Eco."

"WHAT?" everyone shouted at her.

"Are you crazy?" Margaret asked in disbelief. It seemed impossible that she thought she knew Keira's mind after that pronouncement.

"Look, you guys know I've been trying to infuse Eco into arrows. I've been wondering if I could do such a thing with Dark Eco. It might turn the battle in our favor. I just need a drop, but it'll take me a while to see if what I want to do is even possible." Everyone stared at Keira after this announcement, but this time it was a mixture of thinking she was crazy for thinking up such a plan, and thinking she was brilliant for thinking up such a plan. "Will you help me or not?" Keira asked, her eyes and tone pleading. Everyone sighed and agreed, Margaret the least enthusiastic. She had seen firsthand what Dark Eco could do to someone, and she was hoping neither she nor Keira nor anyone else fell prey to its twisted power.

* * *

The assassin attacked first as they met each other in the air, striking first with a blow coming across from the right. Bryan had just finished blocking this when his opponent spun around, swinging blindly with his left arm, the one covered in metal. The assassin continued forward while Bryan planted his feet and swung his Blade in an n arc over his head. This chop was deflected by his enemy, who quickly countered by bringing his Sabers across his body. Bryan blocked both strikes as fast as he could, and struck at his foe. The assassin moved with unnerving speed as he dodged to the left of the strike and swung first with his left, then his right Saber. He then spun around and brought both Sabers across at different heights.

Bryan leapt back out of the way of this attack and then charged forward, swinging his Blade down. As he did, he had to get the feel of a weapon that was completely weightless, yet was deadlier than a razor sharp falchion. His opponent blocked the attack and parried it with his left arm before striking with a wide curve with his right. Bryan blocked this move and smashed his Blade on top of the Saber that he had sent downwards. The assassin and Bryan struggled for a split second before breaking the lock and again attacking one another.

The assassin brought his Saber in his left hand up from below, and followed it as he stepped forward with a swipe from his right. Bryan was hard pressed to deflect both attacks without so much as a scratch on him. Bryan once again tried to cut his opponent in half from the head down, but this time the assassin brought his Sabers above his head in an X-block. He pressed upward and leapt over a low attack, as Bryan had followed the momentum of his Blade and allowed it to go behind his back before bringing it up and to the right.

As Bryan ran forward with the momentum of the attack, the assassin leapt ten feet in the air effortlessly, tapping into the Blue Eco stored within his arm to carry himself to an inelfin leap. As he landed, he twisted himself around and brought his Sabers down. Bryan stepped back from the strength of the attack before changing his momentum and running forward. He swiped at the enemy, but his opponent was now using his already formidable speed and Blue Eco. He dashed forward past the attacks so fast that it appeared to teleport. As he past Bryan on the left, the hired gun swung backwards with his right arm and then reversed the spin, attacking with his left hand. He tossed his Sabers between his hands and then attacked with his right arm. Bryan dodged the attack before going in and thrusting his Blade forward. The assassin parried the attack to the right and attacked again by slamming both his Sabers down. Bryan backed off and allowed the Sabers to hit the ground. He ran forward and tried to decapitate the opponent. As his Blade came down, the assassin held onto the Eco Saber hilt with his thumb and extended the fingers of his left hand.

Bryan was sent flying back as a blast of energy hit him in the chest, stopping only when he hit a tree. He rubbed his head with his free hand and looked up. He immediately leapt up upon seeing the assassin coming in, both Sabers ready to cut through skin, bone and muscle. He used the Blue Eco residing inside his body to propel himself fifteen feet in the air, coming down about twenty feet away from his opponent. He turned around and saw the tree he had hit be cut down by the Sabers. As the assassin rushed to face Bryan, he extended his hand and tried to concentrate on sending out a motion blast. He was able to, but unfortunately, the assassin apparently sensed it coming, because he crossed his Sabers across his chest and only skidded back about fifteen feet. Bryan took the opportunity and leapt at his enemy, but had not accounted for the assassin's being trained in fighting with Blue Eco. Using his left hand, the would-be killer sent debris littering the forest floor fly at Bryan. Bryan cut through the incoming projectiles, but the cost was high. He lost sight of the assassin, who continued to send debris at Bryan while lurking out of sight.

Bryan turned around and ducked to avoid being hit by a tree branch. He rose and spun, shearing another branch in half. He looked to his left and saw a tree trunk being hurled at him. He held his Eco Blade in front of him and the trunk was cut in half, both sides passing him on either side. Bryan waited patiently for the assassin to emerge, which eventually happened. Bryan was forced back under a furious series of thrusts and swipes, unable to think of a strategy beyond not getting hit. The assassin thrust his Saber forward and left it out a fragment of a second too long. But that one instant was enough, and the attempted murderer found his Saber being flipped into the air as Bryan sent it out of his hand. Bryan then did the same to the other hand. He then tried to cut the assassin in half at the waist, but his attacker leapt into the tops of the trees. Bryan heard a rattling and saw the Eco Saber hilts go flying up into the trees. He leapt up and grabbed a vine, swinging on it to try to find his enemy. He landed on a thick branch and saw the assassin land on another one facing him. The two looked at one another for a second before Bryan leapt after the enemy. The two attacked while jumping, swinging, and sliding deeper into the forest.

Bryan eventually managed to land in front of his opponent, and had his Saber knocked away by a swipe. He ducked under the second Saber and received a spinning back kick in the chest. He fell off the branch and grabbed a vine with his free hand. The assassin leapt after him and cut the vine. Both of them started to free fall, with the killer on top. Bryan blocked and parried the chops that came at him as gravity brought them down to the ground. He landed and jumped over a swipe that would have taken his legs off and came down with an overhead that was blocked. Both combatants stood still as they tried to take the other down. The assassin blocked an incoming attack with another X-block and the two got into a blade lock. Bryan sent the assassin flying back, and was hurled back by another blast.

Bryan rolled backwards and swiped at the assassin, almost hitting him. The assassin rolled out of the way and levitated pebbles off the ground. They flew at Bryan, who winced as they continuously cut him. Eventually, he had enough and sent every ounce of Eco he had in his body at the assassin. Though he blocked it, the man was still hurled back fifty feet, through seven trees, and finally came to a rest after hitting a wall. The man looked up and saw an Eco Blade being pointed at his throat.

"You lose," Bryan said. The man sighed in defeat and closed his eyes, bracing himself for death. "Why did you try to kill Jak?"

"I had no choice. A week ago, Zeorro returned. But he's different and now rules the village with an iron fist. A man with a red metal hand gave me this arm and told me that if I killed a Channeler named Jak from Sandover, he would cure Zeorro." Bryan gritted his teeth- more deceit, courtesy of Gol.

"We can free Zeorro, and we'll do it for nothing, as long as you take us there."

"Sure, the Warp Gate is open until ten tomorrow morning. That's how I was able to get here undetected."

"Stay here," Bryan said as he turned around and began making his way for the Blue Eco Temple, sure that Jak and Veston were heading that way.

"Where are you going?" the man yelled.

"To tell Jak we found a shortcut! What's your name?" Bryan called back.

"Julio," the man responded.

* * *

Jak turned on his Red Eco Box and lit the quicksand on fire, hoping that it would harden. To his surprise, it glowed red and became rock solid. Jak walked over to Veston and summoned a Yellow Eco Blade before plunging it into the rock turned quicksand. He carved his friend out and as they walked off, Jak noticed the rock glow red once more before dissolving into quicksand again.

"Figures that what we're looking for is a deadly nature trap," Veston said sarcastically. Jak agreed, but his mind was thinking of ways to get the quicksand to the village. He and Veston combined didn't have enough Eco to keep it in solid form long enough to transport it, and trying to gather it up in buckets probably would only result in the bucket getting sucked into the quicksand. Both the Channelers sat down, exhausted, and tried to solve this new puzzling quandary.

"Could we go back and try to scoop it out in buckets?" Daxter suggested to the two. Jak shook his head. "Well, why not?"

"It would take too long. We have two days, and building the raft is probably going to take up one of them. We need to get the quicksand to Sandover by the end if the night. Doing it in buckets, even wheelbarrows, would take much too long to make a raft as big as we need it to be." Jak nodded and heard a rustling behind him. He spun around and held a ball of Yellow Eco out, ready to fire it in a second. Bryan appeared from the brush and held up his hand when he saw Jak's attack position. Jak put his hand down and waved to Bryan, surprised but pleased nonetheless that he had been able to defeat the assassin.

"Guys, that assassin is from Rock Village. He's actually not that bad a guy, but apparently Gol made a deal with him. He said he would release Zeorro from his control if he killed you." Jak's eyes widened in understanding. So that had been what the man had meant when he apologized. Jak could identify the man: if he hadn't known better, he would have believed Gol if he had promised to release Samos.

"Anyway," Bryan said, jerking Jak back to reality, "Julio says that we can teleport back to Rock Village via the Warp Gate until ten in the morning tomorrow. We need to go back to Sandover and let everyone know. Hopefully, we'll be able to take the Sage and the Lurkers by surprise. With a lot of luck, we'll be able to get Zeorro to return to our side." Jak nodded, wondering how Bryan knew s much about what had happened before he realized the obvious. Daxter had been with him, no doubt he had told Keira, and of course, Keira would tell everyone in the group everything that had happened, so as not to be caught unawares.

* * *

Keira was looking on the ledge of the mountain when her communicator suddenly went off. She nearly fell off, but her quick reflexes caused her to grab out and grab a protruding bit of rock. She steadied herself and took out her communicator.

"Yes?" she breathed, trying not to sound exasperated or angry. After all, it wasn't as though the person contacting her had timed it like that to make her almost fall.

"Hey baby," Daxter's cocky voice came back over the line.

"Don't call me that Daxter. What do you guys need?"

"Nothing, but we've found the clay."

"Good. Where is it."

"By the Blue Eco Temple. Turns out it was the quicksand puddle."

"So how are we gonna get it here by tonight?"

"We don't need to."

"What?" Keira said, confused as she climbed down the side of the cliff.

"This guy from Rock Village came here and tried to kill Jak, but then I leapt in and kicked his ass all over the forest. So I made him tell me what I want to hear and he told us that, hey!" Keira looked at the communicator in confusion. She could faintly hear Daxter cursing at someone to give him the communicator back.

"Hey Keira."

"Bryan?" Keira asked, now completely baffled by what was going on. "Where have you been? Lauren's been worried sick about you."

"Tell here I'm sorry for making her worry. I followed Jak and I have something to show you guys when I get back," Bryan replied before telling Keira what he had told Jak and the others.

"Okay," Keira said when Bryan and finished, "come back and we'll set off early in the morning. We'll take them all by surprise and hopefully Zeorro from Gol's control."

* * *

Later that night, everyone was enlightened as to the nature and rarity of the opportunity presented to them. The group agreed that Julio could stay in Jak's house, for which the former assassin was extremely grateful. He left astonished that though he had tried to kill their leader, the group had been understanding and compassionate. As he went to bed, he smiled, relieved to know that there were good people in this Legateeish world, and happy that there was a way for him to be redeemed. As he drifted off to sleep, Julio decided that his daughter had been right, and that he apologize to her when he returned to his home village.

"So, we'll get up eight, have a family style breakfast and then infiltrate Rock Village at nine thirty?" Cara asked, praying to the Precursors that they had finally reached a decision. To her relief, her prayers were answered. The entire group bade each other goodnight and went into separate.

"Bryan, wait a second," Lauren said quietly. "Why didn't you tell me you're a Channeler?" Bryan looked at her in surprise.

"I told you when I found out. I guess Gol knew and he wanted to capture me to work for him."

"But then why was he after me as well?" Lauren wondered out loud. Bryan thought quietly before snapping his fingers and beaming.

"Probably as a weapon. I would be forced to do whatever he told me or else he might hurt you."

"But would you-" Lauren began before getting cut off.

"Yes. I would attack Jak, hurt innocent people, maybe even kill. I would do anything to keep you sage from harm Lauren. Even sacrificing my morals, even serving a monster like Gol." Bryan said, his voice full of passion. Lauren looked at him, her eyes shining, before pulling Bryan into her and hugging him. The two of them went to bed and slept peacefully till the next morning.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said of a certain Channeler, nor could it be said of his girlfriend and companion. Jak woke up around two in the morning and looked outside. A thunderstorm was raging outside, sending rain down so fast and heavy that it looked as though the Precursors themselves were sending buckets down on Weyard. Jak remembered suddenly that Keira was sleeping in the garage and his mind said that she was fine, but his heart told him to go and check on her to be sure. Eventually his heart won and Jak darted outside and flipped over the railing before going inside Keira's part of the house.

Jak knocked on her door and heard nothing in response. He opened the door and heard a squeak of fright. Jak hit the light switch and Blue Eco turned on the lamp next to Keira's bed. Jak went over to her and saw her shivering.

"Hey Jak," she whispered. Jak wrapped his arm around her shoulder and was pleased to see that it calmed her down somewhat. He sat down next to her and picked her up. Keira stiffened, but then relaxed as Jak sat her on his lap, still wrapped in blankets. He leaned back and allowed her body to be surrounded by his warmth. Keira began to relax: her childish fear of thunderstorms vanishing with Jak's presence. Jak inhaled deeply, Keira's fragrance entering his nose and making him drowsy. Before long, he had nodded off to sleep as well.

* * *

"Everybody ready?" Keira asked as they prepared to go through the Warp Gate. It would be difficult, because they went through, they had sworn not to return until their task was complete. One by one, they hopped through the Warp Gate.

Jak emerged in Zeorro's hut and immediately noticed the change in the place. It had been turned into a study of Dark Eco. After searching the house, everybody moved outside and gagged by the powerful smell of Dark Eco. A pool of it was outside the house, and Jak eyed it apprehensively. He had a bad feeling that it would be a tool in his misery. A second later, he was proved right. A beam of Blue Eco originated from nowhere and Bryan, Lauren, Cara, Veston and Keira were all caught in its glow. Jak looked around and Zeorro fazed into view, a stream of Blue Eco coming out of his staff. He looked the exact same way he had when Jak had seen him the first time, except now his eyes glowed purple.

Jak rushed at Zeorro and leapt over a blast sent at him. As he got within striking distance, Jak raised his fist and Zeorro winked. Instantly, Keira was teleported in front of him. Jak stopped instantly and looked at Zeorro, anger written on every line on his face.

"This is the covenant. The two of us are going to engage in confrontation. If you are triumphant, I will discharge your acquaintances. If you are overwhelmed, I will release them into the depression of Dark Eco." Jak growled at the controlled Blue Eco Sage, knowing that Zeorro was not truly saying this. It all went back to Gol. "You have," Zeorro said as he took out a clock from his cloak, "thirty minutes. Otherwise, I will teleport Keira to Gol for experimenting. He is inquisitive as to how much Dark Eco a non-Channeler can carry before they expire."

Jak growled from the base of his throat as he tightened his fist. He took his fighting stance and reflected how much was riding on this fight. If he lost, everyone would suffer a horrible death. If he took too long, Keira would be tortured to death. Zeorro stood still, his staff held tightly, ready for anything Jak might throw at him. Jak dashed forward, and even without Blue Eco, his fury and motivation allowed his body to move like a blur…

* * *

Amidst the rubble at Gol's throne room, a breath could be heard. A single yellow eye opened up and focused through the rubble surrounding it. The pupil dilated as a grey hand, cut and deformed, rose from the pile of garbage and groped around. Dark Eco crackled at the fingertips as the owner tried to burn the debris so the owner could be freed from the hundreds of pounds above…

* * *

Back in Rock Village, a girl looked around the corner of Zeorro's house. Just as Jak lunged at the Sage, she ducked back and closed her eyes out of fear of being seen. She remembered the last time she had gone up to Zeorro. Though she loved the Sage like a father, she wanted the new person (what was his name? Jak?) to triumph. Perhaps if he was victorious, the stranger might be able to change Zeorro back to his old self. Though he wouldn't have a chance. Her unkempt brown hair about shoulder length moved from wind created by a blast that was no doubt due to the raging battle taking place no less than twenty feet away. She turned around the corner and a portion of her face could be seen as it entered the light. A scar in the shape of a crescent moon could be seen on the outside of her left eye. The cat-like pupil expanded slightly in the brown iris as she watched the boy with green and yellow hair shoot a blast of Yellow Eco at the Sage.

"I can't remain silent any longer," she muttered to herself in a musical yet sad voice as she mentally prepared herself for what she knew needed to be done.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed it. As I said above, expect a torrent of email next Saturday or Sunday if this is on your Alert System. Hope you guys like the fight scene, and please let me know if anything was unbelievable. Also, if anyone has any ideas for Zeorro's powers (no they won't be mixed with Dark Eco), let me know, as I am short on ideas. See you all next week!

* * *

My Favorite Authors (They are listed alphabetically, not by preference.)

1. Amathist Fwirrel

2. animedragongirl

3. Keeroshu

4. Light-Eco-Sage

5. Red Mage 04

6. Silver-WindScar

* * *

Quote of the week- Me

Me: Rule #9 of Life: Don't say, "we don't play to win," and then keep score.


	41. Caught Between A Rock And A Hard Place

To those kind enough to review:

Silver-WindScar- Thanks for the compliment on the rule. I like it. When you find your ass, I'll give you some more Ass-Glue. I'll update as soon as possible, probably Saturdays from now on. Thanks for reviewing so fast: I think it took you only an hour?

Amathist Fwirrel- Yup, the story's getting hot. Chief in training? Well, now that you mention it... :P. Actually, I like cooking in both stories and in real life, and I guess I just wanted to add put some meat on the plot. Bad joke, I know. Actually, I thought of a way he can use Dark Eco in the fight, so the rain attack will be of great help. Thanks. I think I know what you mean by the Fry attack, and I'll definitely make him manipulate the earth. Detonate is going to be when Jak fights Dark Santar. Thanks a lot for those two attacks: they were an enormous help.

Red Mage 04- I think I know how to classify villains. They _never_ learn. Personally, I don't think he got killed in the first game. He was locked in the Dark Eco Silo (which was never opened). I think he somehow survived and is going to come back in the fifth game, which GoodMorningBeautiful2005 says should be coming out sometime next year. I agree with you about Jak: he would have been dead as soon as I had found out he was a Channeler if I was Gol. Can't wait to see the next chapter, and I admire you writing _two_ masterpieces (that I've read).

Animedragongirl- Glad you reviewed: I was afraid I might have scared you away :). Happy Birthday. Or belated birthday at least. Sorry about the errors: believe it or not, I am trying hard not to have those. I'll try to slow the plot down, but it will be difficult seeing as how I'm limited to only ten more chapters. I can't believe you just said "BUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Liz is In The House!" either. You were always the most normal. Now I know your crazy I like you even more :P.

Azure- Wow, you stuck with this for thirty six chapters? That takes a lot of patience to put up with such horrible writing for such a long time. If you've never played the J&D games- don't expect the first one to be so long. I won't ruin the ending (actually I will at some point), but lets say that my story took a different turn. Thanks for saying you've seen a dramatic improvement, even if that is a gross exaggeration. I'll try to stick that quote in, but I can't say when. Bathe the whales indeed. Thanks very much for reviewing.

CrazyOttsel- Quite allright that you reviewed late. The important thing to me is that you continued to read my unmitigated crap and even review it. Thanks very much for letting me know I haven't scared you off, and I know what you mean: I hate needles as well.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but I take small comfort in the fact I can play the games whenever I please.

* * *

Caught Between A Rock And A Hard Place

A slight wind picked up as Jak stared into Zeorro's eyes that were so unlike his own. In the brief time he had been with the Blue Sage in Gol's Citadel, he had gotten an air of familiarity and kindness from the elf standing in front of him. That air was now gone, replaced by a mad fury of Gol's to destroy anything and everything that Jak held close to his heart. Jak adopted a fighting stance and the wind ruffled his hair as the Blue Sage stood stock still, his left arm holding his staff parallel to the ground. Jak closed his eyes as the wind continued to grow and change directions. Now it seemed to be emanating from the Sage himself. Jak's eyes widened as he realized that the Sage was using his power to move the air currents.

Jak leapt into the air and landed to the right. Zeorro pointed his staff at Jak and shot a blast of Blue Lightning at him. Jak turned on his Green Eco Box and activated his shield. The Blue Lightning hit the shield and dissipated in sparks before vanishing altogether. Jak gritted his teeth with the strain of keeping the shield up. Never before had he been under such a powerful barrage of power. Zeorro stopped shooting Blue Lightning out of his staff and extended his hand. Jak redoubled his efforts to keep the shield up but in the end it did nothing. His body was levitated off the ground and Jak groaned as Zeorro caused his arms to pull out. Jak's lean muscles strained with the effort of trying to keep his arm in his shoulder socket, but he was quickly losing the battle. Jak looked around for something to use to his advantage before he realized that because he was Channeling Green Eco, it would be next to impossible to use something offensively. Suddenly, Jak felt himself in gravity's hold. He looked down and saw Daxter plastered on Zeorro's face. Jak smiled to himself as he did a flip in the air and ran at the Blue Sage, fury driving him to move faster than he ever had before. He raised his fist as the Sage ripped Daxter off his face and began to tighten his grip on the furry rodent. Zeorro must have heard Jak approaching, however, for he threw the rat into the air and dodged the attack so quickly that Jak hit an afterimage.

Jak's eyes followed Daxter rather than the Sage he was battling. Though Jak knew it was a mistake, he wanted to be assured of his friend's safety. By the time Daxter landed on the ground, Jak had been punched seven times in the ribs and sent through a wall of Zeorro's house. Jak climbed his way out, rubbing his head as he tried to refocus his vision. As his head cleared, Jak saw Zeorro charge up his staff. Jak noticed that it was glowing purple rather than blue, and realized that Zeorro was somehow able to use Dark Eco as well. Jak turned on his Yellow Eco Box and threw a number of small scythes at Zeorro, aiming for non-lethal body regions, since he wanted to keep the Sage alive as long as he possibly could until he figured out a way to break Gol's mental control.

Zeorro gasped in pain as Jak's attack left deep lacerations in his arms and the right side of his chest. Jak extended his hand as he activated his Blue Eco Box and Daxter zipped right towards him as though drawn by a magnet. Jak caught his friend and placed him gently on his shoulder. He then focused his powers and formed a pair of Yellow Eco Blades. Zeorro looked at Jak and was shocked to see that the wounds that he had caused were already healed.

"Perplexed as to how I could repair myself so expeditiously whilst lacking Green Eco? It is exceptionally straightforward. The Blue Eco within my mass permits my conventional therapeutic aptitudes to accelerate about fifty times their habitual alacrity, allowing me to mend lacerations in measly moments," Zeorro sneered as he tightened his grip on his staff slightly. Instantly, the staff glowed a deep purple and transformed into a completely different weapon. The wood hardened into a hard bluish-purple metal that was about an inch thick. The pole was about six feet in length, ending on one end with afoot long spear that had two smaller points on each end. Jak charged Zeorro, but even taking into account the fact that his opponent was the Sage of Blue Eco, Jak was still unprepared for the speed with which the middle-aged elf moved. Jak's first three attacks went through naught but thin air, and he hissed as the razor sharp spear nicked him in the ribs. Jak vaulted into the air and slashed his Blades through the air, sending small waves of Yellow Eco at his enemy. They did not hit their target, as the Blue Sage ran almost faster than Jak could watch. Jak blocked three attacks as he came down, only to be sent flying back by a shockwave rippling through the air.

Zeorro spun his staff above his head before slamming it into the ground. Jak leapt over the lines of Blue Eco that traveled through the earth and threw one of his Eco Blades. As expected, Zeorro dashed out of the way, only to be nailed in the chest by the second Blade. Jak recalled the original Eco Blade and formed a second. Zeorro rubbed his head and Jak noticed that the burn mark on Zeorro's chest that had been thee a second ago was completely healed, showing only a hole in his tunic as a sign that he had been hurt there seconds ago. Jak parried and blocked as the opposite sides of the spear came in at him: the spear tips on one side; a small blue crystal set in a piece of Precursor metal that looked as though it would rather hurt if it was to be slammed into someone's chest on the other.

Finally, Jak caught a break and ducked underneath a blow that sent Zeorro spinning around. Jak kicked forward, but once again, his foot passed through nothing but air. Zeorro teleported behind Jak before Jak could fully comprehend what was happening. Instead of him hitting the Sage in the back, Jak gasped for breath as the crystal struck him in the back, rattling a few vertebrae in the process. He spun around and brought his foot up and whipped it across Zeorro's face.

Only to open his mouth in a silent scream of pain as his foot was nearly cut off.

Jak staggered backwards ad fell t the ground. He opened his eyes and nearly vomited: a mere half-inch of skin and sinew was holding his foot to the rest of his leg, and as Jak had no desire to learn how to use a cane anytime soon, he forced his body to react through the maddening pain and turned on his Green Eco Box. He sighed in relief as a protective shield went up around him and his foot reattached itself to the rest of his leg.

Jak tried to think of a strategy for victory as Zeorro pounded on the shield with a Blue Eco beam. Nothing he had tried so far had worked. That spear of his was too long: it allowed the Blue Sage to strike in nearly two places at once with the elf's enhanced speed. Jak was snapped out of his musings by Daxter's shout.

"Jak! Look out behind you!" Jak turned around and saw a glob of Dark Eco rise from the pool. A faint blue glow surrounded it, making Jak suspect that Zeorro was levitating liquid Eco with his power. Jak leapt into the air as his shield was destroyed by the Eco. Jak summoned two Yellow Eco Blades and decided to try something he had never though of before. He stuck his two Blades together and formed a longer weapon. Jak spun his spear as he came down, deflecting some Blue Lightning before rushing in at his opponent, eager to test out his new strategy.

Zeorro found that it was much harder to penetrate Jak's defenses this way. Jak ducked under a horizontal blow before smashing his staff-like weapon down. Zeorro blocked this and the two thrust and swiped at each other with blinding speed as their confrontation continued. Jak knew that he was quickly approaching the thirty minute countdown and decided that he had to destroy the alarm clock before it went off.

Jak swiped at Zeorro and paused for a second too long and was hit in the chest by the blunt crystal at one of the staff's ends. Just as he had planned, Jak went through the hut's wall again and remained perfectly still after activating his Blue Eco Box. He concentrated on moving the alarm clock and was pleased to see that though he moved the clock through the air, Zeorro seemed oblivious to what the Channeler was doing.

Jak dropped the clock into the pool of Dark Eco and charged at Zeorro, summoning another staff and cocking it back. He swung it down and leapt into the air, deflecting three quick attacks by splitting his staff into two Eco Blades again. He landed and swung his left Blade across his chest as he spun. His right Blade proceeded, and that was followed by his foot. Jak landed and tried to stop himself from spinning. Zeorro took this second to send a blast through the air and cause Jak to skid back. Jak hunched his shoulders forward as though he were exhausted and waited for Zeorro to come in. As the Sage did, Jak dodged the thrust and grabbed the spear. Jak kicked forward and caught the Sage's hands, causing the master of Blue Eco to let go of the weapon. As Jak held it, he felt it burn his skin and glow brightly, as though the staff knew that he was not the one that was meant to wield it. Jak dropped the weapon, surprised at how hard it was to balance it. Obviously, Zeorro was a much better warrior than Jak had given him credit for.

Jak leapt at Zeorro, who ducked underneath the kick Jak had aimed at his face and hit Jak in the ribs. Jak got up off the ground and jumped into the air, spinning as he did so. As his body came around, his first foot hit Zeorro across the jaw. This stunned the Blue Sage, which gave Jak the chance to plant a perfect side kick into Zeorro's ribs as he spun in the air. Jak landed and began pummeling every inch of the Sage that his fists and feet could reach. With one final blow, Jak slammed the Sage into a wall of the hut that was still standing. As Jak prepared to kick the Sage in the face and knock him out, a blast of Lightning from behind immobilized him. Jak stood stunned as the staff Zeorro had been wielding levitated in the air and returned to its owner. Jak was sent flying through the air and crashed into a tree as Zeorro hit him with the blunt crystal. Jak got to his feet and summoned two Eco Blades before putting them together and forming a staff again.

He swiped his weapon horizontally and as Zeorro leapt over the attack, Jak separated the staff into two Blades once again. He slashed and chopped at his opponent, turning them back into a staff when Zeorro resumed the offensive. The two weapons locked and the two Channelers gritted their weapons against each other, Jak's Eco weapon sending sparks out into the air. Zeorro back off and swung his staff in Jak's direction. Jak backed off a step, but was surprised when the staff's tip began to extend. After the tip, two inches of Blue Eco appeared and allowed it to swing to the side. An inch of metal followed the Eco, only to be followed by another inch of Blue Eco. This phenomenon continued until the tip had become a three foot lasso.

The metal and Eco wrapped itself around Jak's surprised body and the spear point seemed to lock. Jak struggled against the metal and Blue Eco, but it was to no avail. Zeorro lifted Jak into the air and slammed his into the ground. Jak struggled to keep awake as the Blue Sage began to swing him around in a circle, causing him to go past, but more often through, trees and rocks. Just as Jak was about to pass out, Zeorro stopped swinging him. Jak sighed in relief only to grit his teeth as Blue Lightning streamed into his body. Normally the Blue Eco Lightning attack was not painful, Zeorro had apparently found a way around that small fact.

Daxter crept up on the Sage, determined to help out again and save his friend. As he lunged for the Sage's leg, a hand swooped down and wrapped itself around his throat. Daxter gasped for air as Zeorro bent down and talked to Jak, tightening his grip on Daxter's throat the entire time.

"Don't anticipate your rodent to assist you this occasion, cherished youngster. Now, you will both expire, and your girlfriend will be converted into Gol's spouse and become queen of this terra firma." Jak's blood boiled with anger, but at the present, he was helpless to the Sage's taunts and threats. And the worst part was, the Sage had the power to do everything he threatened to do at this moment in time.

"And now, you depart this life," the Sage said as he brought his spear blade down, aiming for Jak's throat…

* * *

"Jak!" Keira screamed as she saw the blade going down to decapitate her friend. She turned away, unable to bear the sight of such a horrible act. As Keira opened her eyes, she saw Veston looking at the battle, his face impassive. "How can you just stand there and act as though nothing horrible is happening?" Keira demanded. Veston turned towards her, and Keira cringed when she saw that his eyes were full of pain. When he opened his mouth, Keira heard that he was hoarse, as though struggling not to lose himself.

"I don't like what is happening Keira. And as much as I hate to admit it, _there is absolutely nothing I can do that will change the outcome of this fight!_" Keira closed her eyes in pain, because she realized the same thing. That hurt her more than the fact that Jak was about to die: she couldn't do a damned thing about it. "Crying about it or fighting it won't change anything. The only thing I can do is remain calm, for in times like these, where would the sense be in panicking?"

* * *

"NO!" a voice shouted as a red light lit up from his left. The Blue Sage looked to his right and his lip curled in disgust as he leapt over a blast of Red Eco Lightning. Jak's eyes widened as the spear's lasso let go of him and he looked around for the source of the Lightning, wondering if Santar had sent it, or if another Channeler had emerged.

Jak decided that it was definitely the latter as he looked at the one who had saved his life. A girl of about eighteen or nineteen with unkempt brown hair about shoulder length stood by the house, her brown eyes alight with fury. Jak was taken aback at the sight of her pupils: they were slits like a snake's or a cat's. She had pale skin, as though she was not used to being out in the sun for long periods of a time. She was about four inches or so shorter than Jak's four and a half feet, and was wearing a long black tunic that came down past the knee with sleeves, and tan baggy pants. On her ears dangled a pair of imitation Precursor metal handcuff earrings. Jak stared at the girl: never had he seen such pale skin except on himself a month ago.

"I'll hold him off," the girl said as Zeorro approached them, his staff pointing forward and battle cry coming from his throat. Jak shook his head and established a Green Eco Shield as Zeorro shot a blast of Blue Eco Lightning from his hand and a beam of Dark Eco from his staff. The girl looked at the shield in astonishment for a few seconds before putting her hand through it. Daxter started to shout a warning to her, but his jaw sagged as he saw the Blue Lightning gather around her hand before curling into a ball and entering her body as regular Eco. Zeorro looked at the girl in amazement, and the girl frowned as the Sage looked at her with no signs of recognition on his features.

The girl seemed to be weakening as she attempted to absorb the Blue Eco attack and make it easier for Jak to defend himself. Jak noticed the Blue Sage intensify his attack at the girl, who cried out as se closed her eyes, struggling to keep both hands up and blocking. Jak took advantage of the Sage's distraction and charged up a shot of Yellow Eco. He let forth a blast of Eco that surged forward through the Dark Eco that Zeorro was using. Jak noted to himself that it had never been so easy to push back Dark Eco, not even when was facing Benedict, who had been only an amateur at using it. At thinking of the deceased elf, Jak's eyes closed in pain. Margaret had told him what Gol and Maia had done to him by infecting him with the Dark Eco Seed. The Seed had poisoned his mind and altered his body's make-up, causing his body to become, in essence, allergic to itself. Almost immediately after the Seed had been implanted, his body had become stronger, but before long, it had started to break down.

Jak set his mind firmly on the battle taking place as he charged forward, aiming a punch at Zeorro. The Sage ducked underneath it and Jak leapt over the swipe that had come his way. As he landed, he was hit by a blast of Blue co Lightning. Surprisingly, it had not come from the Sage, but the Channeler that had saved his life. After Jak was released from his paralysis, he turned towards the female with an indignant expression on his face.

"Get out of the way," the girl said as she shot another brief blast at the Sage, who redirected it back at Jak with his staff. Jak rolled out of the way as he tossed a Yellow Eco disk at the Sage, who halted the attack and sent it at the girl. The female Channeler ducked underneath the attack, only to be picked up and have her throat squeezed by the mind-controlled Sage. Jak rammed Zeorro in the shoulder and released the girl from his choking grip. As she coughed, Jak helped her up and looked at her and then at Zeorro, who was charging up another attack. Jak quickly stuck out his hand as though to say he was willing to call a truce between them and work with her until the Sage was defeated. The girl glared at him for an instant, as though to say she didn't need help, but looked over at Zeorro with an almost pitying expression on her face. She grasped his hand with a surprisingly strong grip before shaking it once.

The two split apart, leaving the beam that Zeorro had charged up to hit the ground. Jak flew into the air and sent a hail of Yellow eco pellets at Zeorro. The Sage redirected them at the girl, who put her hands up to cover her chest and face from the incoming attack. A sudden idea struck Jak. It was risky, but also the best chance he had of coming out of this clash victorious. He summoned a Yellow Eco Blade before detaching his Yellow Eco Box and turning on the absorb switch. He threw it at the girl just as the first pellets got closer. All the pellets immediately went for the Eco Box and were absorbed. Jak landed and sent a stream of flame to stave the Blue Sage off while he went to show her how the Eco Box worked. After she figured it out, the two Channelers turned around, but the Blue Eco Sage was nowhere to be seen. A hand suddenly sprang out of the ground and caught Jak's foot. The girl looked down and shot a blast of Yellow Eco Lightning at the hand clutching Jak.

As the hand vanished and Zeorro reappeared, looking enraged, Jak nodded his thanks to the girl, then cocked his head to the side as he realized he didn't even know her name. "Call me Liz," the girl said, reading his puzzled expression correctly. Jak gave her a thumbs up before he leapt back into the fray. "Doesn't he talk?" Liz asked herself quietly as she waited for a chance to attack. As Jak ducked under a swipe and got tangled up again in the spear's extension, Liz sent a blast of Blue Lightning at Zeorro. The Sage merely stuck his hand out and absorbed the attack. Liz cursed to herself: she should have known better than to use Blue Eco against the Sage. Though the attack slightly recharged Zeorro's nearly limitless Eco supply, it provided Jak with just the momentary distraction he had needed. The Channeler rolled to the side before contorting his body and leaning back onto his shoulders and vaulting into the air, kicking the Sage in the stomach. Liz rushed in, her speed being enhanced by the Blue Eco as Yellow Lightning crackled through the air. Zeorro was blasted backwards as the attack impacted. Jak ran forward and slashed at the Sage, only to be driven back by a blast of energy.

Jak twisted his body around in the air and saw another blast of Yellow Lightning coming at him. Jak reacted by reflex and raised his Eco Blade. The Yellow Eco entered the Blade and Jak created another one out of the Eco he had taken. He fastened them together to make a staff once more and attacked Zeorro.

"How does he know such advanced moves?" Liz asked herself again as she watched the two battle back and forth. Their moves were so in sync with each other that it almost looked as though they were dancing rather than fighting. Liz was quick to remind herself that however graceful the fighters might appear, they were just as deadly as they pleasing to watch. Not wanting to risk letting off a blast and potentially hurting Jak, Liz snuck into the shadows, her brown eyes analyzing every chop, every thrust, every parry and block that the two Channelers made.

Jak flipped over the Sage only to be struck in the back by the crystal sphere on the end. He hit the ground and rolled out of the way before swinging his Eco Staff at the Sage. Zeorro blocked it effortlessly and stabbed at Jak's sternum. Jak continued to roll and flipped into the air, punching the Sage in his left eye for good measure, even though he knew it wouldn't do much good in the long run.

Zeorro staggered back from the hit as his eye healed and let loose a blast of Dark Eco Lightning. Jak crossed his Blades in front of him, dissipating the attack. Jak then began Channeling Red Eco into his body, hoping that although brute force by itself was rarely enough to ever win a fight, he hoped that it might give him an edge against Zeorro: maybe damaging him enough to break a bone could give Jak the time he needed to knock the Sage unconscious.

Jak charged forward, swatting the staff away with one of his Eco Blades and swiping with the other. However strong he might have been, it did him no good, as Zeorro was too swift and nimble to be hit in the first place. Jak thought a minute before he spotted Liz lurking in the shadows of the house. He threw his Eco Blade at her after turning it into a sphere, hoping she would know what to do. Liz nodded and held the Yellow Eco Box in front of her and absorbing the attack.

Jak charged forward, his single Blade enough to block the staff of Zeorro and counter with a kick to the chest. Zeorro gasped for breath as the attack connected with his solerplexis. Jak took advantage and began hammering at the Sage from every angle with his Eco Blade. After ducking and dodging the first three attacks, Zeorro began parrying them; blocking them for only an instant before redirecting them in another direction. Jak ducked under a swipe and jumped over a second. He stuck out his feet as Zeorro held out his hand. The result was almost comical. Jak was blasted backwards by the backlash of his own technique and Zeorro's attack and went through a tree and into a boulder. He struggled to keep awake, and although he accomplished this, he was unable to move his body without pain.

Liz leapt out of the shadows, Yellow Eco crackling at her fingertips. Though she was no match for the Sage, Liz Channeled the Yellow Eco into her body, causing small Yellow Eco bolts to jump off her skin and at the Sage if he got too close. She ducked under a swipe and punched him in the ribs, Yellow Eco enhancing her attack slightly. Zeorro stepped back before unleashing a torrent of Blue Eco Lightning. Liz stood her ground and gathered all of her power before releasing her own massive attack. The two attacks met and crackled back and forth as the opposing Channelers increased their power. Liz knew that this was her one chance: the Blue Sage had to stay still to maintain his Eco Lightning attack.

Liz struggled to keep up her attack as the Blue Sage intensified his attack. Liz knew that if she lost this one power struggle, then there would be no hope for Jak. As the pain in her hands became unbearable, Liz suddenly felt comfort. At first she closed her tighter, sure it was the calm before life was wiped away from her body. As the feeling grew, she opened her eyes. She saw Jak's hands resting on hers, pumping Green Eco in her to restore her energy. Liz found it much easier to stand up and keep her attack going with Jak's aid. Jak began to Channel Red Eco into Liz's body, knowing that while the strain would become greater, the extra power might allow her to defeat Zeorro once and for all. Liz closed her eyes as tears squeezed out the ends, crying out from the pain but never daring to cease her attack out of fear that the demented Blue Sage would win. Slowly but surely, Zeorro's attack was pressed back as the Red and Yellow Eco Lightning attacks overcame his. With less than an inch separating his palms from the attack, Zeorro stopped his own and tried to get away.

It would prove to be his last mistake.

With a cry, the Blue Sage was blasted backwards by the attack, hitting his head on a boulder and sliding down the rock, unconscious. Jak and Liz sighed with relief before Jak realized that his friends would fall into the Dark Eco. He turned around and concentrated with all his failing strength on keeping his friends in the air. As they dropped onto the ground, Jak sat down and took deep breaths of air. Now that the adrenaline rush had worn off, he was thoroughly exhausted.

"Um, thanks," Liz said shyly as Jak looked over at her. He smiled and nodded. Something stirring to his left caught his eye and he looked over to see Zeorro getting up. The Sage's eyes were still a deep purple, and Jak pushed Keira to the side as a blast of Eco was aimed at her. Jak held his forearm armor in front of his face and the shot was redirected at Zeorro. As the Sage turned to the right to avoid the blast, a small purple metal contraption was hit instead. Sparks flew from the machine and Zeorro shouted in pain. As the machine died, the Sage collapsed, only to get up again.

"Thank the Precursors! I cogitated I would linger under Gol's hegemony for all of perpetuity!" Zeorro exclaimed as he got up. Jak was relieved when he saw that the Sage's had returned to the bright blue they used to be. Liz ran at the Sage and embraced him fiercely. Zeorro stroked the disheveled brown hair as she sobbed into his chest. "It is satisfactory, daughter," Everyone did a double take at the last uttered word.

"Wait, you're his daughter?" Keira gasped. She had never known that any of the other Sages had had any children, assuming her father was the only one.

"Yes. I am Liz Cyan, daughter of Zeorro Cyan. Thank you for helping me to free my father. When he returned, I could tell that he was not himself, and so I hid myself away. I fought him once and tried to free him, but he bested me. Now, we can strike back at Gol," she added grimly as she punched one of her hands. For once, and Jak suspected it would be the only time, Zeorro's jaw dropped in astonishment as he gazed upon his child that looked so like her mother.

"Absolutely not! I will not permit you to imperil your being. I will voyage north and-"

"And what? Gol still has Santar, Samos, Alecis, Tarea and Potentia under his control. You'll never be able to beat them all. And if you left, Gol would know what has happened. The best thing to do is to remain here as if you were one of Gol's stooges. Tell him you drove Jak and everyone else back home, sonce you thought he would want to be the one to kill him, and allow us to sneak past. That way, Gol will be taken completely by surprise when we reveal ourselves." Zeorro opened his mouth, only to close it again in defeat. Keira smirked as she saw a spark in Liz's eyes that she herself had possessed on numerous occasions in the past when she had been determined to do something others had thought she shouldn't do.

"That is a magnificent design. There are merely two imperfections with it. My eyes are no longer the amethyst that they were whilst I was under his authority. The other flaw is the mind control contrivance. It is shattered, and if I am not bearing that, then I'll never bamboozle Gol into deeming I am still amid him." Liz smiled at the first comment, something that Jak thought very puzzling.

"Don't worry about the eyes. I found two small pieces of glass and shaved them down until they were razor thin. Then I dipped them in purple dye. If you wear them, then your eyes will look the same color as they were before. And I know they won't hurt, because I wore them myself." Zeorro beamed at her before kissing her on the forehead.

"Splendid! But what about the mechanism?" At this point, Keira decided to speak up.

"Actually, I'm decent with a wrench. I could probably make a replica of it that wouldn't affect you at all."

"How long will it take to manufacture? I must make contact with Gol in three hours otherwise he will suspect something," Zeorro said.

"If I hollowed out the real one and mended it, I could be finished in an hour and a half."

"Then why don't we just do that?" Daxter shouted, getting angry because of all the big words, some of which he wasn't entirely sure convinced of their validity. Keira nodded and headed for Zeorro's house, which began to mend itself as Zeorro raised a weary hand at it. Jak looked at Keira as she walked in the house, marveling at her ability to repair or mend anything. He laid down and leaned up against a tree, trying to regain his energy after the exhausting battle he had just fought.

* * *

An hour and a half later, Jak stormed in the hut. Normally, he was a very good tempered person, but Veston's incessant pacing had prevented him from resting. He automatically relaxed as he laid on Keira. He stood behind her as she stood up from the desk and stretched. He gripped her around the waist and lifted her into the air. Keira screamed in shock, but laughed after Jak set her down. She flicked him in the left ear and showed him the mended machine. Jak took it and examined it. It was perfect: no one would suspect that the device was a dud.

"I hate to say this Jak, but I have some bad news." Jak looked at her in surprise: everything seemed to be going exactly as planned.

"There seems to be a problem with the A-Grav Zoomer. It seems that the Lurkers started taking it apart a bit early. The stole the heat shield, as well as the Power Cell Energy Grid." Jak glared out the window, angry that the Lurkers and Gol would destroy such a beautiful piece of machinery. "According to these notes I found by Zeorro, they took the pieces to a laboratory in the Precursor Basin. Normally, I would ask you to go and get it, but by the time we found it, infiltrated it, and got the pieces, you could walk to Volcanic Crater. So I thought I might ask Liz and Veston to go get it." Jak cocked his head at the odd choice: he would have sent Margaret, Bryan and Cara: since they were the most skilled Channelers.

"I know what your thinking. I didn't send those three because Veston told me he can speak the Lurker language, so if they infiltrate the place, then he might be able to find out where the are. I don't want the Lurkers knowing we're here, because then Gol would find out, and that would destroy any element of surprise we might get in the future. And Liz has a general idea of where the place is. According to her, the Lurkers built it underground in case we ever managed to get here. And the reason I'm only sending those two is because sending even only two elves in there is risky." Jak nodded and sat down next to Keira before rubbing his eyes. He had to decide who to take with him through the Mountain Pass, because no matter how strong he was, there was always the chance he would need help, as the fight with Zeorro had demonstrated.

As Jak walked outside, he felt the cool air hit his face. He knew that within a few months, winter would set in, and any movement would be risky, if it was possible at all. He leaned against the house and wondered what his plan was. After freeing Santar, Jak would have to go back through the Spider Caves, something that he was in no hurry to do. After that, the Desert Colossus, which would still be unbearably hot in the winter would take two weeks to travel. Taking the Zoomer was out of the question, since Keira had told him that sand would get inside and damage it if he rode it on the beach. A small smile came onto his face as he remembered how angry she had been when he and Daxter had taken it out one time and ridden it on Sentinel Beach anyway. He could still remember how hard she had smacked him. Also fresh in his mind was how she had not talked to him for an entire month afterwards. She was definitely a force to be reckoned with, Jak said to himself as e stared into the black sun. The only good thing about it he had thought of was that he could stare directly into it without hurting his eyes. After the desert, Jak couldn't decide whether to go to Tarea on Pampas Islet or continue to Gol's Citadel by way of Wasteland Metropolis and liberate Potentia.

Jak snapped himself out of his musings and went to go find Margaret and Cara. By far, they were the most skilled at distance fighting, which would be the strategy Jak would need to utilize against Santar. The Red Eco Sage was built like Precursor metal, and engaging him in close range combat with nothing to distract him would be suicide. He found the two girls over by the lake, talking in low voices. Jak approached quietly, wondering what they were talking about.

* * *

"Oh come on! How could not find him attractive?" Margaret asked indignantly. Cara merely shrugged and tossed her braided red hair behind her shoulder.

"I never said he wasn't good-looking. I just don't like him the way you do?"

"Well, why in the name of the Precursors not? You've known him almost all your life."

"Yes, maybe that's why…" Cara said as she looked at the lake. The cool, once clear water had begun to turn a dark green, another reminder of the task they had in front of them. It was barely noticeable, but Cara knew that before long even the lake would become a twisted version of the beauty it had once possessed. "He's just too familiar to me for me to even consider even thinking about him like that. Perhaps its because the two of us are like brother and sister, not friends." Margaret rolled her eyes at this comment.

"Well, whatever the reason, you have no attachment to him right?"

"That's right," Cara said as she leaned back and gazed at the sky, and the purple clouds.

"So I can go out with him?"

"If you can get him to notice you."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Margaret asked indignantly, thinking that Cara was calling her unattractive.

"In all the ears I've known him, I've never seen Veston look at any girl as more than a friend."

"Well, you know what they say," Margaret said as she smirked and laid down next to Cara on the grass, "there's a first time for everything."

Cara smiled as she recalled that those were the words her fiancée had said to her when she had claimed that she would never allow herself to love him. "That's definitely true."

Jak cleared his throat at this point, having heard enough to satisfy his suspicions. He pointed to the mountain in the distance and then at the two of them.

"We have names you know," Margaret said as she smiled and got up. Jak smiled back as he rolled his eyes at her. Cara rose and followed the two, giving one last look at the lake.

"I promise to restore you to your former beauty," she whispered.

* * *

"So, where exactly is this place?" Veston asked as he and Liz entered the Precursor Basin. Liz smirked to herself as she imagined his reaction.

"Right below us," she said as she moved half of a Precursor metal sphere. Underneath was a ladder, leading to a chamber with an eerie reddish glow. Veston's jaw dropped as he realized how close the laboratory was to the entrance, which would throw people off who assumed that it would be hidden deep in the basin. He waited for Liz to disappear into the earth before following her. Right before he went under, Veston switched on his Blue Eco Box and levitated the lump of Precursor metal over the hole so that any patrolling Lurkers would not be able to tell that two Channelers had just entered their base.

* * *

Jak, Margaret and Cara stood before the Mountain Pass. Seventeen miles of greenery and mountainous climbing. He took a deep breath before letting it out as a sigh. He remembered the last time he had mountain climbing with Margaret, and hoped that nothing of the sort happened in this place.

"Déjà vu, eh Jak," Margaret said as they walked along. Jak smiled and nodded as the black sun beat down on them, reminding Jak that he could never truly rest until he had made up for his tremendous error.

* * *

Hi. Sorry for the delay in updating, and it turns out that I can post more than fifty chapters, whih is one of the reasons why I took so long to get this chapter up. Special thanks to Amathist Fwirrel, who gave me some ideas for the big showdown with Zeorro, which I hope was satisfactory at the bare minimum. Hopefully, my life will return to normal now, which is short for I hope I can get the next chapter together by Saturday.

* * *

My Favorite Authors (They are listed alphabetically, not by preference.)

1. Amathist Fwirrel

2. animedragongirl

3. Keeroshu

4. Light-Eco-Sage

5. Red Mage 04

6. Silver-WindScar

* * *

Quote of the week- Me

Me: Rule #10 of Life (inspired by Silver-WindScar and a friend of mine): Opinions are like assholes: everybody has one and most of them stink.


	42. Old Enemies Return and New Allies Emerge

To those that were kind enough to review:

animedragongirl- Yup, I thought you might like being his daughter. I understood what he was going to do, but I had no idea what the word actuate meant when I played the game. I had to go and look it up.

GoodMorningBeautiful2005- Yup, Liz is a powerful fighter indeed. Everyone will be, and that's gonna be when everything topples down around Gol. Oh, do me a favor: you said you wanted to be a Channeler, so when you get a chance, could you send me your profile? Too bad you can't update: I'm looking forward to the next one. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again ;).

SilverFlameoftheWindScar- Thanks very much for the compliments. Too bad that you might not be able to be on for too much longer, but I will try to finish this before such a horrible event occurs (how will I read your story if your not online)? I don't know what suspense there is, but I'll try to clear it all up.

CrazyOttsel- Yup, Daxter got his moment in. I really do downplay him too much, except when he killed that snake on the dirigible. Hmm, Daxter with weapon... (pictures Daxter with a cocked PeaceMaker and shudders for the Metal Heads). To answer those three questions: one, he's the comic relief; two, he's got razor sharp claws and fangs; and three, he's annoying when he wants to be.

Red Mage 04- Yup, only five left before they all revolt. And yes, Gol will experience a little shock before the bitter end. Remarkably similar to the way a certain Sith Lord does in a certain Sci-Fi epic, as a matter of fact. Checked out those websites, and you were right about them. Though I didn't get a chance lately to look at the second one: things up here have been hell. I know you weren't referring to Risen Demon, but I thought that by mentioning that masterpiece, it might help boost your confidence.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but I take small comfort in the fact I can play the games whenever I please.

* * *

Old Enemies Return and New Allies Emerge

Jak, Margaret and Cara looked at the Mountain Pass, wondering how to get through it without being seen. Undoubtedly, the Lurker presence would have skyrocketed since the arrival of the black sun. The group needed to get through undetected if they were to arrive in Volcanic Crater undetected and surprise Santar. Though he knew that with Cara and Margaret helping him he would have a better chance, Jak would have preferred not to have to battle the Red Eco Sage at all given the choice.

A sudden roar made the three Channelers whip around. Jak stepped back as he looked at the furry face of Klaww, the gigantic Lurker he had beaten long ago. The giant Lurker raised its arm and Jak saw that the Precursor prosthetic Gol had removed was back. His keen gaze also didn't miss the fact that the giant chunk of flesh where the heart had been (which Jak had blown out of the body) was fully healed, even if it did glow a bit darker.

"What in the name of the Precursors is that?" Cara asked as the monster roared, causing a small avalanche in the distance and picked up a flaming boulder. The three Channelers dived out of the way, but Jak still felt the heat from the boulder as it slammed into the ground. Jak summoned a Yellow Eco Grenade and threw it with unnerving aim into Klaww's right eye. The beast roared and clutched at the small organ and Jak grabbed the two girls as he flew into the air. He settled down near a cave and the three of them ran in just as Klaww began looking for them.

"I can't believe, urf-" Daxter said as Jak hastily covered his friend's mouth. He put his finger to his lips as Klaww bent down and looked at the entrance of the cave. Everyone held their breath and pressed their bodies against the cave wall as the gigantic red eye looked around for its prey. Klaww roared in frustration: his master had instructed him to kill anything that moved in the Mountain Pass, and anything approaching it. He would have loved to be able to chuck boulders at Rock Village, but Gol had also told him that the town was now their ally and should not be attacked under any circumstance. A very brilliant idea occurred to him. His quarry was definitely hiding in one of the caves: their scent was everywhere. The best thing to do would be to simply smash all of them so that they were either crushed or would be trapped. If they were trapped they would try to free themselves and then he would kill them.

"What is that?" Cara whispered to Jak.

"Klaww. I kicked his ass a few months ago. Now he's back for round two," Daxter said as he puffed out his chest and dropped to the ground. Cara and Margaret rolled their eyes as they looked at Jak, who sighed and nodded. He peered out the cave and prepared to dart out and take Klaww by surprise.

"Jak, let me take this thing on," Margaret said as Jak prepared to leave. He began to shake his head, but Margaret talked before he could leave. "You're too important Jak! We need you to stay alive to face Gol. I have a lot of Eco and I can take him down no problem." Jak reluctantly nodded: Margaret was an Amplifier after all, so she would be able to deal devastating attacks on Klaww and whittle away at his health and endurance.

"Great, now let's get goin'" Cara said as she prepared to leave the cave entrance. Jak and her out as fast as they could, Jak helping Cara along, as the girl was unable to Channel Eco. Klaww spotted them and a grin lit his face as he reached for them. A massive blast caught him in the face and Klaww looked to his left to see Margaret with her hand raised, another Yellow Eco Ball in her hand.

"C'mon ugly," Margaret taunted as she let loose another blast. Klaww roared and smashed his arms down where she was, and would have hit her had the Amplifier Channeler not darted away using superelfin speed with help from her Blue Eco Box.

* * *

Liz and Veston landed silently in the eerie red light of the Lurker laboratory. "Remember, we're only here to take the heat shield and Power Cell Energy Grid," Veston whispered in a perfect Rock Village accent. Liz looked at him, raising her eyebrows to show her surprise that he had imitated their way of speaking so fast. "Call it a talent," he said as he shrugged.

"I know," Liz said, annoyed that Veston did not seem totally open to trusting her. Though, she was quick to remind herself, if she had been through the betrayal the group had experienced so far, she would be hesitant to trust almost total strangers as well.

"So, any idea what direction to go in?" Veston asked.

"How should I know?" Liz asked sharply, like she would know which direction the Lurkers had taken the blasted pieces of machinery.

"Because you knew where this place was, so I thought you might have gone inside it," Veston retorted. Liz rolled her eyes but the logic was good, she admitted to herself.

"Well, you can read Lurker, what's that sign say?"

"Let's see. Tuesday only, you can buy a Yakow steak and get a free Croca-Dog brain?" Veston said before grimacing. Liz clutched her mouth and retched.

"Not the lunch menu, you idiot! The big glowing sign!"

"Oh," Veston said before chuckling to himself. Liz ground her teeth: his attitude was getting on her nerves. "'Secret project: Female companion of Bane of the Lurker's flying machinery is in Rm. 7 on Level 2.' Now where is level 2?" Veston muttered to himself.

"Dunno. Any ideas?" Liz asked before shrinking back and hiding in the shadows as a trio of Lurker Scouts came into the room. Veston smirked as he whispered a single word that made the new teammate seriously question his sanity.

Veston crept up to the trio and grabbed the one closest to the shadows before snapping its neck soundlessly. He then changed his voice and growled out some words that Liz recognized as those belonging to the Lurker language.

"Nxoho aj kxo ocolukeh? Jkuoadw idtohwheidt je cedw aj tholadw mo shuqo!" (Where is the elevator? Staying underground so long is driving me crazy!) Liz waited with bated breath as the Lurkers responded before Veston said a quick word and decapitated all of them before he burned their bodies to dust with a Red Eco Sword.

"It's down the hall and to the right," he said as he came back. Liz's eyebrow twitched as Veston acted as though he had casual conversations with Lurkers daily.

"You speak their language?"

"Yup," Veston responded smugly.

"How?"

"Well, I mostly learned three words when a Lurker learned our language, but from there I figured out how to decipher the language."

"And that is?"

"We don't have enough time right now. Some other time I'll tell you about it." Veston whispered as they boarded the elevator and began wheeling it to level two.

* * *

Jak and Cara continued walking through the Mountain Pass, the heat of the sun pounding on their backs. "Damn it's hot," Cara sighed as they finally reached some shade. Jak nodded: though he had only been in her region for three days, he had noticed that there was more moisture in the air up here, and especially in the Mountain Pass. The result was for all the moisture that was normally sweated out through the skin was trapped inside the body, causing the internal temperature to rise. Jak sighed as he put his back against the cool rock wall and as a breeze blew a cross his face. He knew that time was running out: if they didn't get out of this place, then they would surely get sick. Jak knew that no matter how hot it felt, it was really only about fifty degrees.

Jak sniffed the air as a strong, animal smell came about his nostrils. He wrinkled his nose in distaste: the smell wasn't very bad, but it was very overbearing. He looked over at Cara, who was beginning to cough from the smell. Jak cautiously looked around the corner and gasped. A girl was approaching them, holding a ball of Yellow Eco in her hand. But that wasn't what had shocked Jak. She was riding a most peculiar creature. It had four legs, each about three and a half feet in length. It had yellowish-blonde, sleek looking hair going down the legs, the body that had absolutely no fat on it, and all the way up a foot long neck. The face was angled downwards, and two large nostrils were set about a mouth big enough to take Jak's whole hand. Two ears swiveled around, trying to pick up nearby sounds, and light brown eyes glittered in the shade. A tail of what looked like regular yellow hair went for about two feet off the end of its body.

Jak looked at the horse in admiration and wonderment. Never before had he seen such a strange creature, but at the same time he could appreciate it for its muscles and the grace it possessed as its feet, which looked like giant fingernails, though there was only one on the end of each foot, walked smoothly, never stumbling over the rocky terrain. Jak stepped out of the shadows and the girl saw Jak. She aimed a ball of Eco at him and fired a beam right at him…

* * *

Margaret groaned as she lifted a boulder off of her body. She had dodged the one Klaww had thrown at her only to be struck by an avalanche. Fortunately, she had reached her Green Eco Box before she was crushed and managed to stay alive, although with a lot of pain. She lifted the rock and chucked it Klaww, who had leaned his face in to see if she were truly dead or not. He received a stone in the face followed by a giant blast of Yellow Eco as a signal to not repeat that particular action.

Margaret leapt over a hand as Klaww slapped down on the ground. As she landed, Margaret turned on her Red Eco Box and slammed her foot down on the tip of Klaww's finger as he moved it away. The result was somewhat comical. Though it was like an ant attacking an elf, Klaww roared in pain and shook his finger in the air to try to lessen the stinging. Margaret knew that she would never be able to really damage the beast with physical attacks: the only reason that attack had actually hurt was because the fingertip was one of the most sensitive parts of the body, be that body Lurker or elfin.

Margaret wished she could fly like Jak as she ran along the ground using Blue Eco, dodged small beams of Yellow Eco and rocks. Though she could use more powerful attacks for longer periods of time, she was restricted to using the Ecos to only their basic uses. Klaww roared and Margaret saw that her repeated attacks were actually singing off his hair. A sudden mental image of him bald popped into her head and she smiled as she leapt fifty feet into the air. The Red Eco she was using to enhance her strength also allowed her to leap almost and obscene amount of distance in a single bound. As Klaww grabbed at her, Margaret leaned to the left and barely avoided getting crushed in his massive fist. She landed on his chest and began climbing up, her fingers gripping the rough metal. He swiveled around to see where she had gone and Margaret hissed as her hand slipped and the skin was rubbed raw. She continued climbing, finding it harder due to the blood seeping out of her palm and reducing the friction between her hand and the metal.

Margaret finally got to the top of the chest and gathered a small amount of Yellow Eco from her Yellow Eco Box. She concentrated on it and increased the amount in her hand until she could no longer contain it. She put her palms in front of her face and allowed the energy to flow from her body to her surroundings in a beam of light. Said energy traveled for about ten feet up Klaww's neck before hitting him the face. Margaret continued to pour her power into her attack, not ceasing even when the force became too much on her body and she was pushed off Klaww's neck. She hit the wall and continued to send her power out. As she ran out of power, Margaret slid down the mountain, gritting her teeth as small stones ripped her shirt and her skin.

"Damn. This was my favorite shirt," Margaret said as she tried to see her back. She felt around and winced as open wounds were touched. She activated her Green Eco Box and sighed as the skin knit itself back together, but unfortunately, there was no returning her shirt to the way it had been.

A roar made her look up and Margaret's blood froze. There, with his face bloodied and partially blown off, was Klaww. And he looked none too pleased to see her. Margaret dodged to the right as a massive beam of Yellow Eco came her way.

* * *

Veston and Liz snuck down the dark hallway, taking care never to expose themselves for more than a few dangerous seconds. "Room 7," Veston muttered as they reached their destination. He put his hand on the knob and turned it so slowly that Liz thought that it might take half an hour just to open it. "Let me go and get the pieces," Veston muttered. Liz nodded, but made it clear through hand movements that she would be accompanying him.

As Veston crawled into the room, a sudden headache overcame him. He saw a vision of Margaret fighting a gigantic Lurker with a Precursor Robot arm and begin buried under an avalanche. As the vision cleared, he clearly heard her pain filled voice shout for him. "Veston, help me!" He shook his head and looked at Liz.

"We have to go. Now!" He added fiercely as Liz came up next to him.

"What? Why?"

"I just have a feeling that I'm needed elsewhere. Screw the espionage, we need to get out of here," Veston replied as he shot a blast of Yellow Eco. The Lurkers that were caught in the beam were blown off their feet and thrown aside. Veston ran up and took the artifacts.

"Let's go," he said shortly.

"Not just yet," Liz said as she drew half a dozen knives from a pocket. She concentrated on them before they began to glow yellow. Veston realized that she had transferred the Yellow Eco in her body into the knives. Liz threw them a number of bottles of liquid Eco and began to run. Veston stared at her in astonishment before he too began to run as though the hounds of Legatee were after him. He remembered only too well what would happen if different liquid Ecos were to com into contact with each other, as his experience back on Brigands Bastion reminded him.

* * *

Cara flung her hand out and the beam collected into a ball. She then prepared to fire it back at the mysterious girl, but Jak held up his hand. He walked slowly towards the girl and her strange animal. The girl tensed up, ready for a fight, and Jak saw that she looked as though she had had a rough couple of months. She was the oldest woman Jak had seen yet on his quest, judging her to be somewhere in her mid-twenties. She had curly dark blond hair that was nearly to waist. Jak could tell tat had it not been so matted and snarled, it would have been beautiful. Her eyes were the same shade of blue that Jak's were, though hers were presently narrowed with dislike and suspicion. She was an inch or two taller than Jak, just under six feet. One of her hands had a multicolored band in it, which Jak was curious about. The girl looked up at the strange animal, as if asking it a question with her mind. As her neck moved, Jak saw the tip of what appeared to be a tattoo of red and yellow flames coming of the top of her left breast. He wondered what it meant and shifted his view to the animal, which was approaching him. Jak stayed perfectly still and controlled his breathing, careful to not let any of his apprehension show. This was a key to making friends with animals. If they sensed fear or hesitation, they instantly distrusted you. The animal sniffed Jak, who looked it straight in the eyes without blinking.

"Good, you know how to act around animals," the girl said in a slightly raspy voice. Jak looked at her to see that her hand was now outstretched. "Tiffany," the girl said, almost shyly now that she was not fighting.

"I'm Cara, and he's Jak. He can't talk," Cara added in response to Tiffany opening her mouth, which Cara was sure would be a question as to why she was answering for Jak.

"And I'm Daxter," the small animal on Jak's shoulder said, louder than any of the other elves. The animal snorted and snatched Daxter off Jak's shoulder and stuffed him in its mouth. Jak reacted instantly, grabbed the animal's neck and tightening his grip until the animal spat his friend out.

"Gentle," the girl said sharply, rubbing her pet's throat gently. Jak glared at her: her pet had eaten his friend. "All you had to do was say 'drop it.'" Jak glared at her still until the girl rolled her eyes. "So, what are you doing on my turf?"

"Your turf?" Cara asked aggressively.

"Yes. My turf. So where are you going?"

"We're going to Volcanic Crater to free Santar and then eventually to Gol's Citadel to reverse the black sun," Cara said shortly.

"Then maybe I can help you," Tiffany said. "These are called horses, and I have two more. They're unbelievably fast: I guarantee they'll get you to Volcanic Crater by sundown." Jak's eyes bugged out: that _was_ fast. "There's only one condition."

"We'll return them," Cara assured her.

"You better, but I want you to take me with you. I'm a Channeler too, and I'll be an asset." Jak turned this over in his mind. No doubt another Channeler would be immensely helpful, and he thought the girl to be a good person, if a little rash. He nodded and shook her hand. "Let's go," Tiffany said as she mounted her horse and began to lead Jak and Cara to the others she kept.

* * *

Margaret leapt into the air again, chiding herself for so foolishly dumping all of her Yellow Eco into one attack. Granted, it had done an enormous amount of damage, but now she was out of Yellow Eco, which was her only way to attack. No matter how strong she was, Margaret knew she would never to more than mildly annoy the giant monstrosity. She darted about on the ground, using Blue Eco to travel so fast that even a creature as big as Klaww had trouble keeping with her. She leapt over a fist headed er way and ran up the metallic arm. She began Channeling Red Eco and sped up, using her leg muscles to propel herself forward.

As Klaww saw the small elf run up his arm, he chuckled internally. What could such a pathetic, inferior being such as this hope to accomplish against his awesome strength. He found out a second later, as Margaret leapt into the air and delivered a jumping spinning back kick to his right eye. Klaww roared in pain as his already injured eye suffered another powerful blow. He closed his eyes and grabbed his eye, hopping up and down to try to distract himself from the terrible pain. Out of the corner of his tear-filled eye, Klaww saw the elf that had caused him so much pain leap off of him and land on the ground. He roared and slapped at her, but missed. Margaret landed on the ground and lifted a gigantic boulder over her head, concentrating hard to avoid dropping it.

"Hey ugly!" She called to Klaww. The beast opened its eye just in time to see a rock about the size of its hand coming at him. Margaret's eyes widened when he caught it and set it on fire before chucking it back at her. She darted away as fast as she could, but was not prepared for the aftershock and nearly fell to the ground. At the last possible moment, Margaret leapt into the air, only to be slapped by Klaww.

Margaret was dazed as she went hurtling through the air, her body limper than a wet noodle. The blow had rattled her entire spine and left her discombobulated. As she slammed into a rock wall, she noticed dimly that she was bleeding profusely from cuts all over her body. She fell to the ground and saw the sky. She had just enough time to wonder why it was blue before a pile of rocks fell on her and everything went dark…

* * *

Margaret woke up with a jolt and cried out as a sharp jab of pain went through her entire body. The slap by Klaww had shattered her right side, and slamming into the wall had cracked her sternum. Finally, hitting the ground and cracked a couple of vertebrae, preventing her from using her left side. It also didn't help her situation that rocks had landed on her legs, nor was the fact that she was bleeding heavily from an artery in her arm helping matters. She tried to move, but it was a struggle to keep breathing.

"I… should've let Jak take him…" Margaret muttered as she struggled to stay awake. But try she might, her eyes became heavier and heavier, until she could not help but close them. A wonderful light began to grow in her eyes, getting brighter and brighter as she got closer to it. As she walked towards the light, Margaret noticed how it seemed to get warmer and warmer as she moved away from her body. She also noticed that the pain in her body had faded: it was just a dull ache now. As she got closer to the wonderful light, she heard a voice calling her. She tried to place the voice, it was so familiar, but she was finding it hard to remember anything about her past life.

"Margaret wake up! It's me, Veston!" That name rang a bell in her memory. Margaret turned back to the darkness and with a sigh, began the way back. Funny how it was harder to go back than to go forward.

Margaret cried out as Veston gently cradled her mutilated and battered body. "It's okay," he said softly to her as he pumped her body full of Green Eco. As her vision clear, Margaret noticed that the enormous pain she still felt was fading away slightly, and that she was regaining the use of some of her muscles. Veston anxiously looked at her eyes, worried at first when the pupils did not contract. Margaret blinked and then winced: the sunlight, dimmer though it was, still hurt her eyes. Veston made a shushing sound as he laid her head back and turned around to face Klaww.

"You'll pay for that," he growled as he leapt into the air. Klaww swiped at him, but Veston activated his Blue Eco Box and jumped in the air again to change his momentum. He summoned a Blue Eco Blade and slammed it into Klaww's flesh. The monster roared as Veston ran up his arm and around his shoulder, literally carving symbols and markings into the beast. Veston leapt up, his eyes full of fiery rage. Klaww stepped back, trying to keep out of range, but Veston had been experimenting with Blue Eco and had managed to find a way to dash in midair. Not exactly flying, but he could at least change direction midair of he needed. And now he wanted to.

Klaww roared as Veston summoned another Blue Eco Blade and hurled them at his eyes. They slammed through the retina and Klaww roared in pain as his right eye was once again struck. Veston began charging a blast of Yellow Eco and let it loose as Klaww lowered his hand. The energy beam broke through the skin and tunneled its way directly into the repulsive beast's brain.

Veston landed on the ground smoothly as Klaww fell, dead, into the lava pit. He turned around and without any pity watched the monstrosity sink into the molten rock. He then turned to the injured female and picked her up gently. As she carried her bridal style back to the village, he once again began pumping her full of Green Eco. As he hurried, he noticed that Margaret's breathing was to slow.

"Margaret, you can't die on me," Veston pleaded. "I love you too damn much."

* * *

Liz and Lauren were mulling around inside the house while Zeorro went to "inspect" the explosion of the Lurker laboratory in the Precursor Basin.

"Hey Liz?" Lauren asked hesitantly, not sure how she should approach this subject. It wasn't that she was afraid of Liz; it was more that she didn't know how touchy this subject might be and didn't want to upset a potential friend.

"Hm?" Liz asked as she turned around, her cat-like pupils narrowing almost imperceptibly as she turned away from the light she was using to make sure that she had bandaged the wound tinged with Dark Eco correctly. The small amount of purple liquid stained the Band-Aid slightly and Lauren frowned.

"Why don't you just use Green Eco to heal that?"

"It would be a waste. Thanks to my dad, he taught me how to use Blue Eco to accelerate my healing. This'll be gone by the end of the day. But somehow I don' think that that's what you wanted to know."

"You're right. This might sound weird or rude, but-"

"What happened to my eyes?" Lauren opened her mouth, a little surprised that Liz was able to put it so bluntly, but then nodded. "Well, about ten years ago my mother was trying to make a perpetual light based on Yellow and Blue Eco. The experiment let out such a huge blast of light that my body changed my pupils to keep me from going blind." Lauren wondered how that was possible, but before she could open her mouth to ask, the door was kicked down.

"Somebody help me!" Veston shouted as he staggered in, having run down the mountain behind Rock Village and through the village itself.

"Veston! What in the name of the Precursors happened to her?" Liz asked, astonished that Margaret could take such a beating and still be alive. Some wounds were now scars, but Veston had not had a lot of Green Eco, and many wounds were still oozing blood, or in the case of the artery on her arm, still pumping a little blood out every second.

"Klaww, now help me save her!" Veston said as he deposited the body gently on a bed, not giving a damn that the blood was staining everything, nor the fact that he was covered in blood as well. Liz ran to get a bottle of Green Eco, hoping that they would be able to heal the Amplifier in time. Green Eco could heal any wound, no matter how large, but it could not re-grow bone, which meant that the chunk of flesh that had been ripped out would be sore for weeks to come. It could also not restore blood, which meant that if the wound in Margaret's arm wasn't closed soon, then they might wind up healing her only to lose the girl to blood loss.

* * *

Jak scowled at Cara, who was still giggling at him. Sure, he had fallen off his horse a few times, but so had she. Just because she had mastered it a bit sooner than him was no reason to laugh at him. He whipped the reins, as Tiffany had taught him to do, and tightened his grip with his legs slightly. As though he had spoken the command out loud, his horse broke into a gallop. Jak broke out into a huge grin as his horse (Maestro Tiffany had called it) leapt over a rock and continued. Cara caught up to him, riding on Harry and then came Tiffany, riding on Charlie. Together, the three Channelers made their way to Volcanic Crater, where Santar, possessed by insane Gol, waited unawares.

Or at least, so the Channelers thought…

* * *

Sorry for the immense delay, but it's been real hectic up here with the tournament this weekend. I also apologize for the shortness, but this chapter gave me a lot of trouble. Wish me luck, before Sunday though, otherwise it wont do me any good. I'm happy to say that this chapter was done, and half of the next one, so I plan to update on the sixteenth with two chapters. If anyone has a review, question, idea, flame, etc., don't expect an answer until Sunday night at the extreme earliest. Bye, and I hope everyone has a good weekend.

* * *

My Favorite Authors (They are listed alphabetically, not by preference.)

1. Amathist Fwirrel

2. animedragongirl

3. Keeroshu

4. Light-Eco-Sage

5. Red Mage 04

6. Silver-WindScar

* * *

Quote of the week- Me

Me: Rule #11 of Life (inspired by my mother during childhood): Assuming makes an ass out of you and me.


	43. “How Many of Us Are There?”

To those that were kind enough to review:

Silver-WindScar- Thanks again for the comment on the rule. I won't run out of them anytime soon ; ). Yup, threw in just a little suspense (I have to), but it'll be cleared up by Sunday. Thanks for the good luck.

CrazyOttsel- I'm honored that you think so highly of me that you would put me on the top fav List. Yup, he finally noticed her (I'll go into that either this or next chapter) and yes, I think Klaww will be dead for real, as it is difficult to live with half a brain gone.

Amathist Fwirrel- Nope, I imagined it too: P. Wow, you're evil to him. Yes, the Channelers are emerging, and actually, you gave me inspiration for this chapter's title. No, they're not bred like rabbits, but I do have an explanation for why there will be eventually over a dozen. I'll give you a clue as to how may to expect: more than twelve, tournament style. And it's a, well, I already told you about the tournament. Thanks for the good luck anyway, I think it helped my opponents get a pass (there were too many competitors and they moved up a level without fighting by sheer luck).

Keeroshu- I agree: school causes more problems than it gives us to solve. Actually, I got the names from my dogs. I have a Bernies Mountain, a Black Lab, and a Yellow Lab that we had to put down when he got arthritis and couldn't walk. If you think Veston is funny, you should meet the nut I based him on. Thanks a lot for such a lengthy review, and I do hope that school will get off your case and try to stop sucking your life out. Three weeks? Your lucky: I have until the middle of May. Good luck on the finals!

animedragongirl- Yup, didn't think anyone would see the two of them getting together (feels rather pleased with himself). Good, I was hoping you would find the explanation adequate. Blech, geometry. I guess it only sucks being busy when your stuck being busy doing something you don't like to do. I love swimming, but three hours a week? That's a lot for just laps and stuff. Um… never mind (after reading through your schedule).

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but I take small comfort in the fact I can play the games whenever I please.

* * *

"How Many of Us Are There?" 

Jak, Cara and Tiffany walked cautiously into Volcanic Crater, wary of any hidden attacks or traps. Jak looked around for Santar, but did not see the Red Sage in his hut, nor did he see him anywhere in the village.

"Where do you suppose lard-o is?" Daxter asked, wondering why he hadn't been fried by the Red Sage (and happy because of that fact as well). "I guess he saw me comin' and took off," he said as he flexed his chest, making it bulge forward about half an inch. Cara and Tiffany rolled their eyes, whereas Jak didn't even bother. A sudden explosion to the left caused the trio of Channelers to look at the arena where Jak had once trained Benedict, about five months ago. He motioned for the others to take the long way as he jumped off the bridge and flew above the lava to reach the arena. He saw Santar slam his fist into the ground to stop himself from skidding back. Jak landed quietly and decided to watch to see what would unfold.

"This is pointless you know. You can't defeat me," Santar said in his deep slow voice.

"Maybe not, but I'll keep fighting," another voice answered. Jak looked up over the rock he was hiding behind and saw a man standing in the arena, his light brown hair blowing from the winds created by the lava. His dirt brown eyes were narrowed in concentration, but not anger or hatred. His skin was much darker than Jak's, which surprised the young Channeler, as he was outside an average of fourteen hours a day. It was clear that the man fighting Santar was in the peak of his life, which made Jak place him to be somewhere in his early twenties.

Santar rushed forward and punched at the man, who dodged the blow and caught the arm before smashing the Red Sage into the rock with such force that the surrounding area cracked slightly. Out of the corner of his eye, Jak saw Emma and Cara making their way to the arena. No doubt they had seen the fight and were trying to save the man. Not that Jak thought the man needed it: he seemed to be doing quite well on his own. He was strong enough to lift the Sage over his head and throw him right at Jak, the Channeler thought. He shook his head and did a double take. Jak leapt into the air and narrowly avoided a beam of Yellow Eco that crackled through the air.

Jak felt his hair to make sure that it was all still there, as he had felt the beam come dangerously close to destroying one of his ears. He landed and put his hands up, showing that he meant no harm.

"Who are you!" the man shouted as he summoned another ball of Yellow Eco. Jak's eyebrows rose, the only indication that he was surprised to have found yet another Channeler. But this one was able to store Eco in his body, or else he was able to suppress his aura when he Channeled.

"No," Jak thought, "it's definitely the former: I can see his aura slightly. He did a wonderful job of suppressing himself the last time I was here."

"I asked you a question!" the man shouted again, his eyes narrowing. Jak knew that he would not be able to mime his way out of this predicament, and prepared to fight not only the Red Sage, but this man as well. Fortunately, Jak's salvation came from a very unlikely source.

"Jak! How did you get here? Zeorro never reported this!" Santar said in outrage as he climbed out of the rock pile at last. Jak turned to face him and saw that, just like Zeorro, Santar had a purple contraption on his back that was controlling his mind.

"Jak? _The_ Jak of Sandover?" the man asked in a disbelieving tone. "But, you're… just a kid." Jak wrinkled his nose in distaste- he hated being called a kid. "I didn't know it was you." Jak smiled as if to say no hard feelings and the man stuck his hand out. "Name's Andrew Gause. What do you say we bring down the big guy and then we get acquainted?" Jak nodded as he stood next to the man and adopted a fighting stance. Santar looked at the both of them before hitting a button on his left gauntlet. A large piece of metal shot out, which Santar caught before engulfing the metal in fire. Jak watched in fascination as the metal twisted until it became a red sword. The blade was split into two prongs that extended straight off the hilt about three feet with a two inch gap between them. Small spikes extended for a quarter of an inch every three inches on the blade, giving it an almost saw-like appearance.

An explosion behind them made Jak and Andrew spin around. A proverbial army of Lurkers were pouring out of the Mountain Pass. Jak knew that, skilled though they were, Cara and Tiffany would never be able to hold their own against that many. The sheer numbers would soon overwhelm them. He felt torn between his duty to the land and his duty to his friends. If he stayed and fought Santar, he might be victorious, but he would sacrifice Cara and Tiffany. On the other hand, if he left and saved his friends, Andrew might not win, and Santar would then be able to inform Gol that Jak was not stuck in Sandover as the Dark Sage assumed.

"I'll help the two girls with the Lurkers," Andrew said as he began running to help Cara and Tiffany, both of whom were already trying to suppress the threat. Jak nodded gratefully as Andrew glowed blue before speeding up.

"Well now, looks like it's just you and me Jak," Santar said, an insane glint in his eye. Jak nodded and summoned a Yellow Eco Blade as Santar's blade once again became wreathed in flames, only these, Jak was sure, were meant to do additional damage, not change the sword. Jak summoned his own Eco Blade and pumped more Eco into it, hoping that increasing the strength would allow it to stand up to this metal blade.

Santar roared as his entire body burst into flames and he charged forward. Jak hastily turned on his Blue Eco Box and held his hand out, hoping to cause Santar to be hit by the backlash of his own technique, like Zeorro had done to him. Unfortunately, all it did was slow Santar down enough so that when he rammed Jak, the Channeler didn't have any of his bones broken. Jak picked himself up off the floor and jumped over another attack of the same caliber. As he jumped, Jak bent forward and spun in the air so that he was facing the Sage rushing by him. Jak let a ball of Yellow Eco fly from his hand, striking Santar in the back. He glared at his bad luck as his attack missed the mind control device mounted on the Sage's back by less than an inch. As Jak landed, he stuck his hand out and pivoted before pushing off and landing on his own two feet.

Santar roared again and swung his blade with all of his considerable strength behind it. Jak blocked it with his Eco Blade, but slid back three feet from the sheer brute force behind the attack. As Santar swung again, Jak threw his Blade into the air and slammed both of his forearms against the metal, confident that his armor would be able to stand up to the attack. Unfortunately, the young Channeler forgot to take one small detail into consideration. Although his armor held up to the attack, the shockwave reverberated throughout his body and fractured the bones in both his arm. He opened his mouth in a silent cry of pain as he staggered backwards, his arms limp. Santar rushed forward and stabbed forward. Jak tried to regain his composure and dodged to the side, his arms flapping uselessly beside him. Daxter quickly assessed the situation and scurried down his friends body to turn on his Green Eco Box. The healing Eco swept through Jak's body, giving him back his full mobility. Jak saw a downward slash coming and shot his arms up, crossing them in an X fashion. He blocked the attack for only an instant, knowing that if he tried to out-muscle the Sage, he would only succeed in either breaking a bone or being cut in half, neither of which appealed to Jak very much.

Jak wrapped his hands around the large gauntlet and pulled it to his left hip as he raised his right leg and brought it around his body. He bent the leg and brought the knee up to his chest before shooting it out in a perfect side kick. Even without the power of Red Eco behind it, Jak's strength was still sufficient enough to crack the barrel that surrounded the Sage. Santar stepped back as he glared at Jak with a newfound respect and wariness. Jak glared back, a fire in his eyes, causing them to practically glow. Neither combatant took notice of the intense heat of the lava, nor did either one seem to care that ash and dust blew around the arena. As a lava bubble burst, sending a shower of sparks into the air, Jak rushed forward…

Only to dive to the left as Santar slammed his blade into the ground. Flames enveloped the sword, but quickly left, causing a stream of fire to flow across the ground. Fortunately, the path of the attack was narrow, and thus, relatively easy for Jak to avoid. As Jak landed, he summoned an Eco Blade to his side, which he immediately put to use deflecting a stream of fire from Santar's free hand.

Jak waved his Eco Blade back and forth as Santar threw a large ball of Red Eco that issued a torrent of fireballs at Jak. As he blocked and parried the projectiles, Jak realized that with him on the defensive all the time, it was only a matter of time until Santar wore him down. Therefore, the most logical thing to do was to gain the offensive. The real question was: how? Santar's stamina and strength made him nearly impossible to take down with brute force. Jak leapt over another stream of flame from Santar's sword and realized that he would have to find a way to turn Santar's strengths into his weaknesses. Again, the solution sounded good, but the tricky part would be actually doing it.

Santar rushed in again and Jak jumped over a swing, only to have to bend backwards under a punch. Jak bent back until he could place his hands on the ground and then he kicked Santar in the chest to force him back an inch while he back-flipped onto the ground right-side up. Santar threw another hook punch and Jak ducked underneath it before using the Sage's own momentum to slam the burly elf into the ground. Suddenly, the solution screamed itself into Jak's mind: the aremie! He remembered seeing it explained back when he was eleven, recent enough for him to have remembered a couple of the moves. Although Jak didn't fully understand the style, he knew it had to do with manipulation of momentum, balance, and weight to turn the enemy's own attacks against him. At the time, the style had been used mainly by martial artists to take down bigger and physically stronger Lurkers.

Santar slashed downward again and Jak summoned two Eco Blades before crossing them in an X again and diverting the sword into the ground. Jak's hands were preoccupied, so he leapt off the ground and smashed his foot into Santar's face, closing his eyes as he did so to avoid getting them filled with ash. As Jak landed, he pulled his goggles down so that he would not have to worry about something like that happening in the future.

Santar roared in fury at not having killed Jak yet and decided that a different tactic was needed. And for a different tactic, the Sage of Red Eco would require a different type of weapon. Santar leapt into the air about twenty feet, crashing down as his blade melted and took on a new form…

* * *

"This isn't looking good!" Tiffany shouted as she shot a beam of Red Eco at a group of incoming Lurker Brutes. The ape-like Lurkers were disintegrated under the attack, but Tiffany knew she was losing power, and fast. Unlike Cara, she did not have the luxury of an Eco Box, which (Tiffany noticed) the Coordinating Channeler wasn't even using, opting instead to use her sword.

"I know!" Cara shouted back as she decapitated a Lurker Scout and kicked the body into an incoming trio of Generals.

"Why aren't you using your Eco?" Tiffany called.

"I can't Channel Eco, only manipulate what Eco is outside my body," Cara called back before realizing that Tiffany would be able to make better use of the Eco Belt than she could. She took it off and threw it across the battlefield, shouting to get Tiffany's attention. The Reflector Channeler caught the Box and hastily strapped it around her waist before whistling with her two fingers. She gave a long shrill whistle followed by a short loud one that made Cara want to cover her ears. Suddenly, Charlie and Harry burst through the incoming army, their hooves hitting and stomping on Lurkers. Tiffany mounted her steed, but Cara shook her head. She wasn't used to fighting on a horse, and she didn't want to hurt herself or Harry. Tiffany nodded and whistled the short blast again. Harry neighed and galloped back into the village, taking its time to crush any Lurker stupid or slow enough to remain in its way.

"Lend me some Eco!" Cara shouted. Tiffany nodded and threw a ball of Yellow Eco at Cara, who caught it using her powers and spread it over he sword so that it looked like she was wielding a katana forged out of solid light. She screamed a battle cry as she ran at the incoming Lurkers while Tiffany started using slashes and thin beams from her horse. Cara glanced at them and noted how fluid the two moved together. As Charlie landed on one Lurker, caving its chest in, it reared its back legs and socked another under its chin, sending it flying. As the steed did that, Tiffany punched a Lurker that tried to leap on the horse before sending a pencil-thick beam through three Lurker Generals. A sudden explosion to her left, however, made Cara look to the village entrance…

* * *

Jak once again jumped over a hook punch thrown by the possessed Sage. The metal had changed to cover Santar's large hands, like metal gloves. Jak had seen the Sage shatter a boulder to pieces using a punch, and was in no way eager to have the same thing done to him while the hands were covered in red-hot metal. Therefore, he was keeping his distance, doing his best to not get pounded into pulp. Santar spun around and Jak realized the Sage was more flexible than he had originally surmised as the foot of the Red Eco Sage came up and hit him in the chest. Jak went flying back and hit the back of his head on a rock. His brain had just enough time to register the fact that he had probably just lost the battle before everything went dark.

"JAAAAAAAK!" Daxter screamed as the Sage got closer. Daxter turned around to glare at Santar and found himself darting forward like a viper, ready to inflict as much pain as he possibly could on the possessed Sage. Santar slammed his foot into the ground, sending a small shockwave through the ground, which Daxter used to simply leap into the air and land on Santar's face. The enraged Ottsel wasted absolutely no time in sinking his fangs and claws into the crimson-colored elf, gagging when blood filled his mouth.

Santar slapped at his face, hoping to merely crush the pest and be rid of it, but Daxter had anticipated this move, having done this to multiple people by now, and dodged the attack, giving any onlookers the humorous sight of the mighty Red Eco Sage slapping himself. In retrospect, Santar realized that he probably shouldn't have put so much force behind the attack as his nose broke. Santar howled with pain as he clutched his face and tried unsuccessfully to stop his eyes from tearing up. Daxter took full advantage of the Sage's preoccupation by clawing and slashing the Red Sage's left arm up, sometimes ripping pieces of flesh out and either spitting or throwing them to the side.

As Santar slapped his arm, Daxter darted away, realized that though the injuries he was inflicting were irritating, would not defeat Santar, and tried to think of a way to stop the Red Sage's rampage. He crawled down the Sage's leg, making sure to dig his claws unnecessarily deep as he crawled around. Though they were hardly mortal wounds, these pinpricks drove the Red Sage nearly psychotic with fury. Daxter darted by the leg and made his way into the barrel. Santar sighed in relief, thinking he had shaken Daxter off before he screamed as agony erupted in his inner thigh. Daxter shouted something, but Santar was not paying attention as he began clawing at his armor, trying to get it off so he could rip the little rodent apart limb by limb, stuff the limbs into the mouth and then roast the little rat slowly (still alive) over an open fire. Oh yes, he would suffer, Santar assured himself as he finally got one of the straps off, made slightly more difficult by the fact that he was hopping around in pain as Daxter continued to shred his flesh.

Finally, the armor dropped to the ground and Daxter screamed in surprise right before he was yanked off Santar's chest, making sure to tear one last chunk of flesh out. He continued to bite and scratch the hand holding him, hoping to cause the Sage to drop him, but Santar was so pleased with finally catching his quarry, and preoccupied with delightful thoughts of torturing his nemesis that he didn't even feel the pain.

Nor did he notice Jak send a fairly large blast of Yellow Eco his way.

Santar roared in pain as the power enveloped his body. Jak happily noted that the bulk of the Sage had protected his friend, but was curious to see that the device on Santar's back remained intact. Memories of Zeorro flooded back, as he remembered the blast had been electrical that had hit the machine. Jak realized that Zeorro's attack hadn't destroyed his machine, it had simply overloaded it.

Jak ran forward before Santar could react and jumped into the air, kicking the machine with all his strength. Unfortunately for Jak, all he did was succeed in hurting his toe. Jak leapt and clutched his foot, dodging to the right and blasting Santar in the face with a Yellow Eco Grenade. The Sage's reaction pleased Jak: he dropped Daxter. Jak caught his friend and gave him a high five before charging up a blast of Yellow and Red Eco. He gathered as much as he could into a single fist until that fist crackled with energy begging to be released. Jak charged forward, fully intending to fulfill the Eco's desire…

* * *

Andrew charged forward, enveloping his body in Yellow Eco. The combination effectively turned him into an arrow of destruction as he barreled through Scouts, Generals, and even a few Grunts, who were known for needing an enormous amount of damage to go down. As he saw a boulder come up, Andrew ran even faster, blowing through the boulder as easily as if it were paper. He stopped and bent downward before looking up, his body giving off a palpable sense of power. Even the mindless Lurkers who did what they were told simply because it was the first order that was given were slightly hesitant to go near this new elf. Andrew watched slowly as the Lurkers surrounded him and gathered that the Lurkers were thinking two things, both of which they were horribly mistaken on. One was that they were cutting off an escape route, and the second was that they were hoping to overwhelm him with sheer numbers, a tactic that would no doubt have worked on a victim less knowledgeable about fighting than himself. 

Andrew charged his body with Red Eco, making the air around him shimmer and distort slightly. He kicked an incoming General in the chest with his right foot as he rotated his body clockwise and back-fisted another Grunt in the nose, caving the beast's entire face in. He landed, swinging his right arm across his chest to deflect a swipe by a Lurker Cutter, an elf-shaped Lurker that had spikes coming out of its shoulders, head, fingers and toes. The Cutter took a step back before bringing its sharpened claws on its foot up, intending to cut Andrew that way instead. Andrew saw it coming and blocked the incoming attack with a downward X block so hard that his arms went though the leg and cut it right off. The Cutter hopped back on one leg, but its fate was sealed. Andrew brought his left fist back and his left foot up before pivoting his body and delivering a punch so strong that his entire arm went through the Cutter's chest.

Andrew yanked his arm out of the Cutter's guts and grabbed a General's head before bringing his right elbow in and shattering the face of the Lurker. Andrew then spun around with his hand flat, putting so much force behind this action that he decapitated three Scouts that were foolish enough to try to attack him. Andrew then leapt into the air and coated his body with Yellow Eco again. He aimed his body down and became a flaming meteor, causing an explosion as he hit the ground.

Cara watched in fascination as the man rose from the dust and ash that he had created. As he stepped out of the smokescreen, Cara sincerely hoped that he would not try to fight her, as she knew she would not stand a chance against this kind of opponent. Never before had she seen such powerful moves, not even from Jak. Granted, Jak was powerful, but he had a major flaw- he never did anything unorthodox. Cara would have to talk to the young Channeler about that: if Jak started using his imagination like this man, she knew that he would be able to defeat Gol.

"You with Jak?" the man asked her. Caranodded, still keeping her sword drawn in case this attempt at kindness was just a ruse. "Hey relax. I was fighting Santar when he showed up. I saw the army coming and decided that Jak would be able to handle the Sage."

"Oh, okay, then, WAIT, WHAT!" Cara screamed at the man. "YOU LEFT JAK ALONE WITH A SAGE? ARE YOU INSANE?" Andrew took a step back, getting nervous and thinking that maybe he hadn't made the right decision when he had decided to help this girl and the other one out. "I thought he would be able to handle himself," Andrew shouted back. Cara glared at the strange man before sheathing her sword and walking back to the village. "Hey where you goin'?"

"To help Jak. If you want to come, fine. If not, then I suggest you go into the Pass. There's a girl there that needs your help. Like Jak," she added scathingly.

"Hey, wait a minute, you can't just treat me like I abandoned him-" Andrew began hotly, but stopped when Cara spun around and half-drew her sword, pressing the sharp edge against Andrew's throat. Andrew looked down and made a strong effort not to gulp, as that might just seal his fate.

"Listen to me," Cara growled at him. "I don't know who in the name of the Precursors you are, and frankly, I don't give a damn. Your actions may have condemned our best hope and one of my friends to his death. You better go help my other friend, or you'll wish Gol will find you and kill you before I do." Andrew nodded as she removed her sword from his throat and marched off to the village. Briefly, Andrew considered telling her that there were still a score of Lurkers over there or so, but he thought it would be a better idea to just go and help the other girl he had see, hoping that she would be calmer than the one that had almost cut his throat.

* * *

Cara stood still as she watched Lurkers run at her and surround her. Though she knew the elf meant well, that still didn't stop her from being extremely angry with him, and unfortunately for the Lurkers, she had decided to vent her frustration and rage on them. 

Cara unsheathed her sword, which was still a brilliant gold, and held it in her left hand, knife-style. As she unsheathed it, she rotated her body to the right, stabbing a Lurker in the stomach while bashing another one's head in with the sheath. She reattached the sheath to her waist and flipped her blade so that she was holding it normally with her right hand on the bottom. She spun the blade to her right, spinning it with her hand so that it tore through the armor and bone of a Lurker General before she stabbed forward and to the right. As the creature's surrounded her, Cara spun the blade with his fingers as she spun rapidly on the spot. Normally, there would not be enough force behind these strikes to do anything, but with an Eco-coated blade, all she needed to do was touch something to make it be sliced through.

Cara stopped spinning and thrust her blade through a Lurker Scouts foot as she did a split. She hooked her arm up, closely followed by her legs, and cut the poor beast in two down the middle. She then looked up and swung her blade at the sky. Streaks of Yellow Eco left the blade, destroying seven Lurker Flyers, before Cara redirected the energy to the ground and had it surround herself, dissuading any Lurkers that had thought of attacking her while she seemed preoccupied. Cara put the energy back over her sword and ran forward, another battle cry on her lungs.

As Cara cut through another ten Lurkers, she saw a Grunt leap at her from a tree. She threw her blade at him and took the Eco off, sending it through the final two Lurkers. As the dead bodies dropped to the ground, Cara brought the Eco back to her as she picked up her sword and sheathed it.

Cara arrived at the entrance to the village and saw Jak in the arena fighting creatures that seemed to be made of flames. She cried out, hoping to distract the creatures as she ran as fast as she could, her sword still glowing as she unsheathed it, ready to help Jak in any way she could.

* * *

"Jak, look out on your right!" Daxter shouted as Jak ducked under a swipe from one flame monster. He looked to his right and jumped over a creature that was ramming him. Jak looked over at Santar, who was smiling smugly, happy that he had at last found a way both entertain himself and kill Jak without risk of injury. The idea had been so simple: simply create creatures made of fire and manipulate them. Jak fired another beam of Yellow Eco through one of the creature's torso, but the beam simply passed right through, doing absolutely no harm to the monster whatsoever. 

Santar laughed heartily as Jak was surrounded, thinking that there was no way for the Channeler to win. Santar winced slightly as he moved around in his armor, having finally managed to put it back on. That accursed rat had given him injuries that might last for days. Santar considered calling Samos, as he knew the Green Eco Sage would no doubt be glad to heal him, a servant of Gol Akaron.

Jak glared at the Sage and threw a scythe of Yellow Eco at a boulder before levitating it and hurling it at Santar. The Red Eco Sage was still laughing, and was surprised when two large rocks hit him. Jak took a small amount of comfort in the fact that he may have damaged the device when the rocks Santar was under began to glow red. Jak looked at the boulders in curiosity for only a second before they exploded, sending pebbles raining down on the battlefield. Jak was so stunned that he stopped moving and allowed himself to be surrounded by the creature, all of which eagerly attacked him.

Jak landed on the ground, exhausted after being pummeled in every direction by these invincible creatures. As he closed his eyes, he saw a streak of yellow and a battle cry. This was shortly followed by a cry of pain. Jak braced himself for the pain he thought he was about to experience, but the pain never came. Jak looked up and saw Santar lying on the ground, the machine on his back spitting out sparks, a golden blade sticking out of it. Cara walked over and picked it up, but not before shooting the Yellow Eco coating her blade into the machine. She looked at Jak and walked over to him, sheathing her sword as she did so. She stuck out her hand. Jak looked at her in amazement before taking it. Cara grunted slightly as she helped the boy up. For being only almost fifteen, Jak sure weighed a lot. She supposed it because his body was almost pure muscle.

"Thank the Precursors! I thought that no one would get that infernal device off my back." Santar exclaimed as he stood up. Jak smiled in relief: he no longer had to worry about being pounded to a pulp. As a wave of heat swept by, Jak grinned inanely before leaning backwards and passing out.

"Jak!" Cara exclaimed. Santar walked over to Jak and picked him up, wincing slightly as he did so: Daxter's attacks had hurt him badly. The two walked back, Santar carrying Jak and Cara allowing Daxter to ride on her shoulder.

* * *

Andrew and Tiffany walked back to Volcanic Crater, chatting lightly about high school together. "So you've been hiding here all this time? Why?" Andrew asked. 

"Ever since Santar started acting strangely, I decided to hide out and train until I was strong enough to beat him. What about you?"

"I kept facing him, and lost every time. But I always got away and kept trying. Then Jak and that other girl fought him and I just hope they won," he said, realizing that he should hurry in case they were still fighting Santar. Tiffany whistled and within moments Maestro had caught up to them. Andrew leapt into the air and came down lightly on Maestro's back before gripping the reins and causing the horse to go zipping forward. Tiffany looked at him for a second with a small smile before calling to Charlie to catch up.

* * *

Jak opened his eyes and saw that he was in Santar's house. He sat up and looked around. Santar was sitting in a corner, rubbing Green Eco on his legs and chest. Jak saw how carved up the Red Sage was and vowed never to poke fun at Daxter again.Speaking of which, Jak saw Daxter speaking to the Sage and for once, he was apologizing. "Sorry about that, buddy," Daxter said sheepishly. 

"Its all right. I'd rather have the pain and be free than be healthy but enslaved," Santar reassured the rodent.

"Yeah, I guess."

"You're quite the fighter there." Santar said. Jak rolled his eyes, knowing that that would only inflate Daxter's already overly-inflated ego.

"Yup. Just the other day, this girl Keira…" Daxter continued talking, but Jak closed his eyes, feeling tired and stopped listening.

Keira. By the Precursors, how Jak missed her. They had been separate for only a day, and yet it felt as though it had been forever since Jak had held her, hugged her, kissed her. His body ached and longed for her touch. Jak saw an image of Keira in his mind, standing on the beach in her white tee-shirt and blue-overalls. The wind was lightly blowing her hair, causing two locks of hair to blow across her hearts shaped face. Her bright green eyes sparkled as she watched the birds fly around in the air, blessed with the freedom to fly. Jak imagined she would look at him, closing her eyes as she tilted her head to the side slightly and smiled. She walked over and put an arm around his shoulders. She leaned in and rested her head on his chest, sighing as he put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. She looked up at him and smiled again. Jak bent down to capture her lips with his own and-

"HEY JAK WAKE UP!" Daxter shouted, causing to Jak to jump out of bed, his fantasy shattered. As Daxter shouted that Jak had been sleeping for two days straight, Jak noted that even in his fantasy, Daxter ruined the moment. Then he realized what Daxter had said. He had been sleeping for two days? How was that possible?

"Its possible because you're so lazy," Keira said, grinning. She laughed as his face turned from puzzlement to joy. Jak ran to her and picked her up, spinning around on the spot before putting her down and kissing her. Keira ran a hand through his grimy hair and spun him around. Jak stumbled as Keira pushed him forward. "Nothing else for you 'till you get cleaned up." Jak wrinkled his nose at her and pouted. Keira gave a small smile, leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the nose. "There. Now go get cleaned up." Jak stuck his tongue out at her and saluted her.

"Amazing how she can get him to do anything, ain't it?" Daxter said as she walked back into the living room. Keira rolled her eyes at Daxter, protesting that she never forced Jak to do anything.

"He just doesn't want to piss me off. Something _you, Daxter_ should start considering," she added, glaring at the small rat. Daxter shrugged: he had angered her so many times that he was no longer afraid of the ramifications of doing such.

"So what's the plan?" Andrew said as he stood up from leaning on the wall.

"Well, I hollowed out the mind-control device, and Liz crafted those eye thingies," Keira said as she sat down on a big chair.

"I know that. But where are we going? Snowy Mountain Island or through the Spider Caves?"

"I think the Spider Caves. Nothing lives there, so it'll be easier to get through undetected," Tiffany said.

"It _was_ empty. We don't know what's changed since the black sun," Veston pointed out.

"Then Snowy Mountain Island," Cara said, thinking that that would be the best choice.

"But if we go there, then we have to deal with Alecis," Keira said.

"And if we do that-" Bryan started to say, but Lauren finished his sentence for him.

"Then we risk exposing ourselves."

"But we can't stay here. I don't think we can trust everyone in the village, and if Gol found out where we were, then we would be pursued by everyone," Andrew said.

"What do you mean?" Tiffany asked, shocked that there might be elves in the town loyal to Gol.

"Just what I say. I've received threatening messages for challenging Santar, saying that they would run me out of town."

"I'd like to see them try," Liz muttered.

"But that brings us back to our original question: where do we go from here?" Keira asked.

"This is a difficult choice. You run the risk of the unknown in the Spider Caves, but to go the route you know is to risk exposing yourself. Not easy whenthe world is against you," Santar said slowly.

"Why don't we split up?" Andrew asked as he pointed to a map Santar kept on the wall. "Look, me, Tiffany, Liz, Bryan and Lauren can go through the Spider Caves. Charlie, Maestro and Harry have been through them before, so I know that they will be able to get through again. Then Keira, Jak, Margaret, Veston and Cara can go to Snowy Mountain Island. You can free Alecis, and then maybe send a team to investigate the Lurker Fort on the mountain, make sure they're not developing a new weapon or anything. When the five of us get through the caves, Tiffany, Liz and me can ride to Wasteland Metropolis and Bryan and Lauren can stay and try to convince Gordy and Willard- yes I know them," he said as Keira opened her mouth, "to help us. Gordy is a master of architecture. If there is any weakness in Gol's Citadel's foundation, he'll be able to pinpoint it. And Willard is the only one who knows how to make Econite."

"Econite?" Bryan and Lauren said simultaneously.

"A highly explosive power that can destroy almost anything. I've seen fifty pounds of it actually shatter Precursor metal." Eyes widened at this pronouncement. "Meanwhile, the four others can go to Pampas Islet and we'll rendezvous either there or Wasteland Metropolis. So what do you think?" Andrew asked, slightly apprehensive about what they thought about this plan. A chorus of approval, even from Cara, relieved him. Jak walked in, his hair matted down with water as he toweled it vigorously.

"You know Jak, that's usually what a woman does when she gets out of the shower," Daxter said, grinning. Jak stuck his tongue out at his friend as Keira smirked.

"Trust me Daxter, Jak's a guy." Daxter's eyes widened for a split second before he smile a grin so evil that Gol would want to use it.

"And just how do _you_ know that, hm Keira? Methinks you two have been doing else than locking lips." Keira and Jak looked at each other before blushing deeper than Santar's skin. Everyone burst out laughing at the two elves' shyness. Jak and Keira each snuck a glance at each other at the same time and blushed deeply again. After the two of them had managed to calm themselves down, everyone filled Jak in on the plan.

"Wait a second. The A-Grav Zoomer is built for two. How do Veston and Margaret expect to follow us?" Keira asked.

"I've learned a little trick where I can Channel Blue Eco into an object and make it move, thanks to Jak. Me and Margaret can just take a piece of metal or wood or something," Veston said, proud of his new power.

"Ah, I have just the thing," Santar said as he walked out and came back with a round metal disk. Veston took it gratefully before looking at the time.

"We have to go! You have to contact Gol in two minutes. Remember, respond as though you approve of what he's doing," Veston shouted as the group left the house. Staying in the shadows, Jak, Daxter Keira, Veston and Margaret parted with Bryan, Lauren, Cara, Liz, Tiffany and Andrew.

* * *

"Well, here we go," Andrew said as he led Maestro down the rocky path of the Spider Caves. 

"Let's just hope it goes better than last time," Tiffany said as she kept firm grips on Charlie and Harry.

"What happened last time?" Lauren asked, causing Andrew and Tiffany to give each other identical looks.

* * *

"Ready Jak?" Keira asked as she wrapped her arms around him and hoped that she didn't fall off again. Jak nodded, hoping the exact same thing. Veston stepped on the metal disk and Margaret got on with him. Veston turned his Blue Eco Box on and Margaret activated her power, giving him more power so that they wouldn't run out before they reached the island twenty miles away. The disk levitated and Veston started the journey. 

"Hey Jak!" Veston shouted. The bi-color haired Channeler looked over at Veston. "Up for a race?" Jak grinned as he revved the Zoomer and the two tore through the water, causing waves to rise up behind them as they sped off for their destination…

* * *

Hope everyone enjoyed this, particularly Daxter's glory, because I have some bad news. My parents have strictly limited my free time due to a bad grade in Spanish, so I may not be able to update once a week as I have been trying to do. Hopefully, I'll finish the next chapter over the weekend, since my punishment begins Monday. Hopefully, I will still be able to update this, although once I pull of an eighty in Spanish, this restriction will be lifted. On that note, I hope you all have had a good week, and I pray that you enjoy Easter, or whatever holiday you might be celebrating. Any questions, comments, ideas, flames, etc., just fill me in. Oh, and the explanation as to why there are so many Channelers will be filled in next chapter, in case people are wondering why there are now eight (the number is only going to be larger). See you in a couple of days (hopefully).

* * *

My Favorite Authors (They are listed alphabetically, not by preference.) 

1. Amathist Fwirrel

2. animedragongirl

3. Keeroshu

4. Light-Eco-Sage

5. Red Mage 04

6. Silver-WindScar

* * *

Quote of the week- Me 

Me: Rule #12 of Life (inspired by Ben Parker in Spiderman): With great power, comes great responsibility.


	44. A New Army

To those that were kind enough to review:

animedragongirl- Yup, soon everyone will be here. Yeah, they're pretty pissed about my grade. I didn't fail (otherwise I'd be typing this through my mind in a coma). Question: have you given up on The Jak and Daxter Prank Wars? I always liked that story the best.

Red Mage 04- Don't worry, soon you will be insane just like the rest of us. As for you being honored, I don't know why. True, I inserted you, but its not like it was into an epic novel that is being awarded or anything. And you have helped me in a multitude of ways since I saw your stories, so it is I who should be thanking you. As for forgetting, its okay. You're only human, and humans err. Though I have no idea what that word means. I guess it means to screw up. Anyway, the reason you acted all normal (shudders) is because you were the new guy and the voice of reason. Hope to see you update soon, though my parents will make it difficult for that to happen. Oh if you study your character's style of attack, you might recognize it froom something we talked about recently.

Silver-WindScar- Yes, Spanish. I hope I get that eighty as well. By different, do you mean good or bad, because if I'm doing something different all of a sudden, I want to stop it before it becomes a habit if its bad. Special guest? Now I can't wait for you to update. Do it now!

* * *

Disclaimer: I own nothing, but I take small comfort in the fact I can play the games whenever I please.

* * *

A New Army 

"It was Benedict," Maia gasped as she sat down. Gol looked at his sister with a great deal of concern clearly written on his face, but there was also a hint of rage.

"By the Precursors, if he wasn't already dead, I'd kill that worthless Adaptor myself," Gol raged to himself. With a great deal of effort, Gol pulled himself back to reality when he heard Maia talk again.

"Somehow, he found a way to teleport himself here. I don't know how: I had never been able to teach him successfully."

"Not just himself, but that worthless half-breed Hatu as well," Gol added grimly. Maia looked shocked.

"Hatu? So, the whelp found a way to teleport others as well as himself? it's a shame that he was not ambitious enough. He could have been a powerful Sage, maybe stronger than us had his transformation been complete."

"It was, I saw to it myself," Gol said indignantly.

"No brother, I am afraid not. When he arrived here, he was using the color Ecos. He put up a terrific fight, but since he had lost a great deal of power healing himself, he was not too difficult to put down. There was one thing that I had not foreseen, however. He was not trying to kill me and get away: he was using a kamikaze style. I did not see until he wrapped his arms and legs around me and detonated himself, clearly hoping to kill me along with himself." Though Gol was nearly beside himself at the assassination attempt on his sister, he begrudgingly accepted the fact that Benedict was noble, being willing to die for his goal. If only he had decided to sacrifice himself for my nobler cause, Gol thought. "I don't know how I survived. By all accounts I should be dead," Maia said, staring at her body in a mirror, her many cuts and bruises healed.

"Perhaps it is because it was a Dark Eco based attack," Gol said to himself.

"Even taking into account my immunity to Dark Eco, I should be dead from the explosion. You saw what it did to the Citadel," Maia countered, and Gol nodded, not having taken that into consideration.

"Perhaps your body took the extra Eco in and projected it out subconsciously as a shield," Gol suggested.

"That makes sense. After all, our powers are closely linked to our emotions. When I panicked, thinking I was going to die, maybe the extra power I had projected itself as a shield and protected me from the death I should have experienced."

"Speaking of death, how is our ;little project coming along?" Gol asked, a dark twinkle playing in his eyes.

"Very well. I intend to open the portal any day now," Maia said with an evil smile.

* * *

"Are you sure you know the way through these caves?" Bryan asked uncertainly as Andrew and Tiffany led them through yet another tunnel emerging in a cavern identical to the past seven they had gone through. 

"Positive," the two Channelers answered in stereo.

"How?" Lauren asked sulkily: she had been trying to see something different every time, but had failed. "It all looks the same to me."

"Me too," said Cara. Liz said nothing, but privately agreed. The stuffiness of the caves was making her irritable, and she did not want to talk to anyone.

"Simple," Tiffany said.

"I haven't been smelling you guys, so we're not going in circles," Andrew said with a smile. "Or maybe we are, and we'll never find our way out of here," he said with a frown, fear creeping into his voice. Everyone looked at each other uncertainly until Tiffany smacked Andrew lightly on the back of the head. "Fine then, you tell them the secret," Andrew said, sulking because he couldn't play with them a bit more.

"Don't mind him, he's a real joker," Tiffany said, while Andrew humph-ed and simply walked a bit faster, his arms crossed across his chest. "If you look closely, each door we enter has a pattern of scratches above it. They weren't made by us, so we think that these caves were used as a smuggling route once, and the scratches were a way for the smugglers to know where they were going." As they entered another chamber, Bryan and Lauren looked behind them to see three vertical scratches under a horizontal scratch. Liz and Cara looked ahead under the door they were entering to see a pattern the other way: three sideways scratches to the left of a scratch going up and down. As they entered the chamber, an evil laugh came blasting out from another tunnel. Everyone looked at each other before nodding and setting down the tunnel, their hands on either their Eco Belts or handheld weapons…

* * *

"All right Jak, you win!" Veston shouted to Jak, who was driving backwards. Jak grinned at his friend, who suddenly went pale. "Jak! Behind you!" Jak turned to looked over his shoulder and saw that he was heading for a thick wall of ice. He leaned forward and the Zoomer pulled back so that he began driving up the ice. As the Zoomer made its way up the wall of frozen water, a portion of it cracked and began to lean forward. Jak revved the engine as he began to drive on the shattered ice, away from the floor at which h was aiming. 

As Jak reached the end of the portion of ice falling in the ocean, he activated his Blue Eco Box to change the Zoomer's position and aimed it towards the glacier. All of a sudden, monsters began to appear out of a dark green mist that erupted from nowhere. Jak was taken back at the sight of these creatures. They were thin, all skin and bones- literally. Jak could see that they had nothing but a sickly green skin stretched over a skeleton. Their eyes, bright yellow and devoid of any whites or black, seemed to focus on Jak as they hissed through rotten, decaying teeth that were set in jaws that were stretched thin over an elfish-looking skull. Two long, pointy ears that looked as though they were just skin poked through a straw hat covering the heads of the zombies. Three of them leapt into the air, covering about twenty feet, and Jak realized that they were much stronger than they appeared. Jak dodged them in the air and heard them hit the water. As he hit the land, Keira hopped off the Zoomer and took out her bow and arrow, loading up ammunition into it. Jak seized the Zoomer, as he had no time to turn on his belt to a more offensive Eco. Using the Blue Eco to help lift the Zoomer, Jak picked up the flying Lachine and swung it, crushing the six monsters that were heading for him. As they died, their skin crumbled away until they were just dust, which was blown away by wind. Jak looked incredulously as this phenomenon for a second before an explosion caught his attention. Keira had shot an incoming monster while he was distracted. Jak gave her a thumbs up before he turned on his Red Eco Box and charged the creatures, using his speed to dodge their amateur strikes and countering before they could recover and throw a second.

While Jak was having his fun, Veston simply concentrated harder and the sheet of metal that he was standing on stopped moving forward and rose into the air. As they did, strange creatures attacked, the likes of which Veston had never seen before in his life. They were a sickly green, and looked as though they were Lurkers and elves that had died, rotted, and then been resurrected. Jak had already taken out a bunch, if the corpses littering the area were any indication. One of them hissed as it ran up to Veston, who decapitated it with an Eco Blade easily. As it fell to the ground, the creature's body began to dissolve into dust and float away, and its metal blade melted away as though it had never been there. Veston did a double take. Metal! Ordinary metal was so hard to come by that Veston doubted even a millionaire could afford a full suit of armor. Yet here were these creatures, a dozen of them, were wielding blades the same as his and Cara's, with their shoulders covered in metal plates colored a sickly green, as were their hips and chests. As the creatures circled Veston, he drew his blade and ignited it with swirling Red and Yellow Ecos. As the creatures ran in on him all at once, Veston jumped in the air, spinning his blade and letting trails of Eco come off the end, destroying the monsters.

As one monster silently leapt through the air and slashed down, an arrow stuck to its chest armor. The zombie looked down to see that the tip was a bright yellow before said arrow exploded, sending its carcass scattering over the ice. Keira took aim for another monster and fired, using a Blue Eco infused arrow this time. The arrow went right through the shoulder armor, through the inside of the creature, and out its other shoulder before plowing through seven more, finally coming to a rest when it flew off the glacier and hit the water. There it floated, its job done.

Keira loaded another three arrows into her bow, all of them infused with Red Eco. As they hit their targets, the armor, then their flesh, melted away. Keira heard a footstep behind her and spun around, loading an arrow into her bow as she did so. Jak's shocked face made her lower her weapon before raising it again and shooting a creature that had been sneaking up on her left.

Through all this, Margaret had kept herself busy. As a score of the monsters approached her, she charged up with Blue Eco. She had noticed that though they were armed, the creatures were very weak. As she ran at them and punched one in the face, she felt her hand go through the entire skull. She continued running, shaking her hand to wipe off the blood, and then noticed something odd.

There was no blood.

"So", Margaret thought as she jumped into the air and landed on another creature, crushing it into the ground as she decked two others in the chests, caving in their torsos, "these things are not truly alive. But then what are they?" she asked herself as another three approached her. One slashed down, another to the left and the third to the right. Margaret ducked, letting the weapons impact against each other before sticking out a leg and spinning around rapidly, snapping the limbs off. Margaret breathed as she rose and saw the creatures were all gone.

Only to scream in shock as a dark green mist erupted in front of her and another samurai-like monster leapt out at her. She jumped back and then charged forward as more appeared as though from another dimension. As the nearest one raised its sword, Margaret slammed her palms into its chest armor, shattering its ribs and blasting it off its feet. As another swung at her, she caught the hand that was holding the blade with her left hand and punched it three times: once in the right left shoulder, once in the left half of the chest, and once in the right side of its chest. Three massive imprints were left by her blows, and the thing dropped to the ground, roaring in a soft raspy voice before its body crumbled away.

Margaret looked to her left and fired a blast of Yellow Eco at a trio of the creatures that were advancing towards Veston before spinning around to her right and catching another zombie's arm. She swung the monster around and began hammering its ribs with blows until it simply caved in half. She parried another swipe at her head, noticing that they all had tried the same technique, and punched a hole through its stomach before turning to another one, noticed that they were getting closer and closer to her. One approached her from the right, only to receive an elbow in its face as another one behind her had its head cut off by her open palm. Margaret threw a side kick and shattered the knee cap of yet another monster as she blasted another score of them back into oblivion.

Margaret sighed and thought that finally the monsters had left her alone. She went to go see Jak, who was looking at the Zoomer. Though he had done his best to guard it, it still had some scratches on it, though Keira insisted that none of them were serious. Jak and Keira got on the Zoomer and Margaret and Veston got on the metal disk before they took off for Flurry Conurbation, anxious of what these new creatures could mean for the war.

* * *

"Now remember, stay _quiet_!" Liz whispered as the group of six made their way over to a large gathering of Lurkers. 

"We know, we know," Lauren muttered, tired of him treating her like a little kid.

"Can't we just fight them?" Bryan asked, keen to spill more Lurker blood.

"No, we gotta know what they're up to," Tiffany said as they got closer. As they got closer, Andrew looked around and noticed that the rocks on the ceiling were looking much weaker than normal, something that he could perhaps turn to his advantage.

A loud whip crack split the air as Maia Akaron appeared out of nowhere.

"Lurkers! For a long time you have failed us at the hands of the Channelers. But now, there is hope for our victory. We have selected you for your bravery, loyalty, and perseverance for this one final task. You will see you are standing on a circle. It is an ancient symbol that has sealed behinds it a mighty army. With your sacrifice, the army will be at our disposal, and you will be free!" Maia shouted. Chill filled the elves as they heard the speech. It appeared as though the Dark Sages had discovered another army in another place and needed the blood of the Lurkers to unlock it. They held a quiet conference and agreed to reveal themselves. Risky it might be, but the odds of letting Maia accomplish something this important were worth the risk.

"Let me handle this," Andrew said as he stood. Bryan and Liz protested, but Tiffany silenced them.

"He knows what he's doing," she said with a small smirk.

Andrew hopped over the rock they were hiding behind and leapt right into the center of the circle. "Hey, what's up crabby?" Maia was so shocked that she could not even be angry with him. "So, what's the deal with the circle? Training for a museum? Let me tell you, you need a lot more practice," Andrew remarked as he looked at the ornately drawn circle. Maia apparently found her tongue and screamed for his death. As the Lurkers surrounded him, Andrew merely cracked his neck and a blast of Yellow Eco expanded from his body, destroying any living thing unfortunate to be within twenty feet from him. "C'mon baby. You can do better then that!" he taunted as he leapt into the air and spread his arms and legs apart, making himself look like a target. Maia shot a beam of Dark Eco at him, but Andrew seemed to move forward as he pushed off of air. "Missed," he said lightly as the beam hit the wall with a rumble. Maia screamed at the Lurkers to leave him to her. Andrew back flipped away from a stream of Dark Eco Maia sent at him and began to run on the walls.

Maia sent blast after blast at Andrew, but all of them hit the wall. Andrew jumped and continued moving on the ceiling, jumping off the stalagmites as she threw blasts at him. Eventually she paused to collect herself, but by that time, she had crushed the hundred Lurkers she had brought with her. Andrew landed, a grim smile on his face as he whistled for the others to come out.

"To bad. Now you have no more army," Tiffany said as everyone drew their weapons. To their surprise, Maia began to laugh.

"Fool. I said the blood of the Lurkers needed to be slipped. I never said they had to commit suicide!" she laughed as the circle began to glow as the blood filled the grooves. Lauren was horrified by the Sage's callousness.

"They have served you and this is how you repay them?"

"They have failed me. And why should I care about them- when I now have a new army!" Maia screamed as a great green fog erupted from the circle. Out of it poured dozens of creatures, each looking as though they had risen form the dead. Everyone began battling viciously against this new foe as Maia screamed "Destroy them!" before vanishing into thin air…

* * *

"Its co-co-cold," Margaret shivered as they continued their journey. 

"I know," Veston said a bit shortly. Concerned though he was for Margaret, he had his own problems. Jak appeared not to have heard, as he didn't react. Margaret shivered again and pressed herself closer to Veston, trying to snatch and share and vestiges of body heat either of them had left. As her eyes closed and her mind threatened to go to sleep, Margaret remembered her Red Eco Box. She turned it on and sighed along with Veston as the kinetic energy went through her body and heated the air around them.

"Hey Jak, what's wrong?" Keira asked as she tightened her grip on Jak, feeling the warmth from his body seep into hers. Jak sighed and wondered how Keira could not have noticed the disappearance of Hatu, who had been missing ever since they had left to find Cara and Veston two weeks ago. Keira seemed to guess as his train of thought and pulled a piece of paper out of her pants pocket. She handed it to him and grabbed the handlebars so he would not have to worry about steering as he read the note she had found that day while he was looking in Forbidden Jungle for special clay.

* * *

Keira, 

I have gone with Benedict to Gol's Citadel. Don't expect me tome back, but I will not tell Gol of any plans that you may have made. If anything, I will tell him that you are doing worse than you are. Don't show this to Jak- I don't want to give him a reason to lose his cool and get angry. I thank you all for the kindness that you have given me, and I look forward to meeting you in a few decades in Foretaste.

Hatu.

* * *

Jak closed his eyes and wondered why his friend had so foolishly decided to follow Benedict and leave them. Jak hoped that if he had died, than at least he had died swiftly and a warrior's death. Jak quickly threw aside this comfort. If he had died by Gol or Maia's hands, then he would have had a slow, painful, and dishonorable death. Jak took the handlebars back and focused on driving, focusing his mind on something important on hand so that he would be able to grieve later. 

The trip was proving to be a long and hard one. Winds picked up as they made their way to the city, and the resulting blizzard made it very difficult for Jak and Veston to see where they were going. Twice Jak had nearly crashed: even with the heat goggles Keira had given him, he still couldn't differentiate one thing from the next. Only he, Daxter, Keira, Veston and Margaret stood out on the thermal reading. Veston had hit the ground four times, having not seen the protrusions coming out of the ice. The more Jak thought about his surroundings, the more convinced he became that something was seriously wrong with the island. He might have been able to faster on the Zoomer this time around thanks to the additional Power Cells, but he should not have been able to reach the island this quickly, which could only mean one thing- the island had grown. And the only logical way it could have grown in Jak's eyes was if the water surrounding the island had been frozen, adding to the bulk of the island. But what could have caused such a drastic climate change? As if answering his own question, Jak glanced at the black sun, which shone in the sky, mocking him.

"Jak! There it is!" Keira's voice snapped Jak out of his reverie and he looked up from the dials and readings on the Zoomer to the town ahead. Flurry Conurbation, set at the bottom of Snowy Mountain. Jak remembered the last time he was here and sighed. No doubt, everything would have changed. There would be no happiness, no happy adventure, only danger. Jak parked the Zoomer behind a snowdrift and motioned for Veston and Margaret to stop as well. Waiting until the got inside the village was obviously out of the question, as Alecis would see them and alert Gol to their presence. The plan was to sneak in, find Alecis, and disable her mind-control device before she had a chance to fight back. Of course, Jak supposed, it won't really be a fight. She isn't a Channeler.

"So, there you are!" A harsh voice said. The group jumped and looked up. Alecis was standing on the top of the boulder they were hiding behind, her chocolate brown eyes narrowed in hatred. She grabbed the twin Eco Sabers on her belt and activated them before jumping down, slashing at the group. Everyone backed off and Jak summoned an Eco Blade, watching his opponent as her yellow hair blew in the wind. Jak shivered and hoped that the battle wouldn't take long- it would be ironic if he defeated her and then died of hypothermia. Veston drew his saber and Margaret activated her Red Eco Box. Jak turned on his Blue Eco Box and subtly moved his hand, causing the snow around Keira to cover her from Alecis' view. He dashed forward at the same time as Veston, both of them striking out with their weapons.

Alecis calmly blocked the strikes, her Eco Sabers blocking Jak's attack while cutting through Veston's blade, causing the sharp edge to hit the snow. Margaret ran in and tried to ram the Sage, but Alecis jumped over her and landed on her shoulders. Margaret looked up at Alecis, to stunned to do anything before the Sage acted. Alecis grabbed Margaret's head with her feet and back-flipped, sending Margaret flying into a snow ditch. Jak leapt forward, but was blasted backwards by a blast of air. Jak looked up and cleared the snow out of his eyes. He was that Alecis had a piece of technology in the center of her palm. Said piece of Precursor metal was flat and thin, coating her palm like a second skin. She extended her hand again and Jak dodged to the right, feeling a blast like that of Blue Eco go rushing by him.

Veston took advantage of Alecis' distraction and ran in. She waited for him to get close and back kicked him when he got close enough. Veston's eyes widened as the air rushed out of his body, his arms spreading, making the Eco Blade he had fashioned from Red Eco move to the side. As he staggered backwards, Alecis continued spinning and brought her back leg up and around, hitting him in the stomach with a fierce roundhouse kick. As Veston grabbed his stomach, Alecis dodged to the right and allowed a blast from Margaret to go streaking by her and hit Veston in the chest. The Blade Channeler went flying back, and Alecis turned around to see Margaret rushing in, her body almost a blur as the Amplifier used Blue Eco t increase her speed. Alecis brought a hand to the strap on her chest and took a small Precursor artifact out of a small pouch, but before shoe could use it, Margaret had reached her.

Alecis grunted as Margaret charged into her. Both went down, and Margaret landed on top. She straddled Alecis' chest and began throwing blows down at the Sage. Alecis recovered both wind and wits after a few seconds and extended her right hand, sending a pulse of energy out of it. Margaret went flying off, and Alecis stood up, er right eye black, and bruises showing on her temples and cheeks. Jak came in again, having recovered from her last attack and Alecis spun, hooking her leg behind his neck as he ran. Alecis spun with him, sending his face into the snow. As she drew her Eco Saber, she reveled in the fact that she would get to be the one that killed Jak, the constant thorn in her master's side. As the Eco Saber went down, hissing as it cut through the air, a Yellow Eco blast sent it flying out of her hand. Veston scrambled up out of the snow and together with Margaret attacked the Sage, he using an Eco Blade, and Margaret using her fists and Red Eco.

Alecis attached the artifact to her left palm and thrust it forward, catching the tip of Veston's Eco Blade. The artifact went to work dispersing the Eco-based attack and scattering the energies to the wind. Margaret brought her fist back and punched the Sage right in the kidney. Alecis gasped in pain and grabbed her side. Margaret brought her foot and brought the heel crashing down as Alecis went down, planning to crush the Sage's face and skull.

Only to have it caught by Jak, who twisted it and caused Margaret to fall to the ground…

* * *

"Damn them!" Liz exclaimed as she extended her hands and shot forth a web of Yellow Lightning. The Eco went forth and peeled the skin off of their attackers, causing them to crumble away to dust. As one snuck up and grabbed her from behind, Liz leaned back before throwing all her weight forward and rolling the creature off her back into another one that was rushing at her with its sword pointing straight. They tumbled over each other and rolled for three feet before they were obliterated by a Yellow Eco grenade. 

Andrew bobbed and weave through the attacks, avoiding them and kicking his enemies as he spun through the air. He leapt up and began running on the wall, sending small pellets of energy through the air. It took about four pellets to kill a creature, so Andrew demolished about a score behind him. He landed on the floor and grabbed a piece of rock that was shaped like a club. He threw it forward and impaled a creature on the chest. He ran up to it while firing Yellow Eco pellets out of both his hands. The pellets tore through skin and bone, annihilating the odd creatures that were streaming from the tear in dimension. He reached the screaming creature and wrenched the rock out of its chest. He leapt into the air and the creatures stupidly jumped and followed him. Andrew swung the piece of rock like a sword and crushed the opposing monsters.

Bryan drew his katana and formed a Blue Eco Blade as the monsters approached him. He leapt into the fray, using his real sword to parry his opponents' and then using the Eco weapon to cut through their bodies. Unfortunately, every time he killed one, another came to take its place. Eventually, he was surrounded and backed into a corner. Bryan growled: if these mindless drones thought that he would be so easy to defeat, then they had another thing coming. He swung his Eco Blade and streaks of Eco came out, tearing through the cavern and destroying rocks and zombies alike. As the dust cleared, Bryan heard air being sliced through and parried a steel sword that had been coming down at his skull. He ducked underneath and cut his opponent in half before darting to another one, using Blue Eco to enhance his speed as he cut through the fiends.

Cara spotted the streaks of Blue Eco going by and held out her hand as she struggled to keep three swords blocked at the same time. The Eco reached her and she coated her sword with it, as she had done to it in the Mountain Pass with Yellow Eco. Her blade became infused with the energy and cut through the weapons. Cara dropped down to the ground and cut her foes at the knees, then again across the chests as they began to fall. She spun around a third time to make sure nothing was sneaking up on her, kicking up so much force that a wind erupted around her and the dust (which was all that remained from her enemies) swirled around her. She threw her blade, turning it into a deadly disk as she directed it around the cavern, manipulating it with the Blue Eco. She caught it and leapt over an attack, kicking the head of her attacker clear off its shoulders. She landed and cut through another three as she defended herself from the endless onslaught of zombies.

Lauren, though she did not possess the Eco powers of her companions, was holding out fairly well against her opponents. Her arrows, tipped with either Red, Yellow, or Blue Eco, were making short work of the monsters that were deciding which elf to attack, or were getting too close to her for comfort. One snuck up on her from behind and slashed downward. Fortunately, Lauren sensed trouble and had spun around. She saw the sword going up for another strike and realized that she would not have time to load an arrow. Instead, she punched forward, adrenaline giving her the strength to knock her enemy's head off, literally.

Tiffany shot a beam of Red Eco at seven monsters, killing them all. She then worked her hands in complicated motions. The beam stopped until it became an orb. She clapped her hands and hundreds of thin beams came shooting out of the orb. This devastating attack took out the creatures by the dozens, but it seemed that for everyone the group killed, two more came to take the fallen one's place. Tiffany directed the beams around, filling the cavern with light and providing an exit route. She made sure her horses were alright, but her pets seemed rather reluctant to leave and stop killing the monsters.

"Let's get out of here!" she screamed as she ran through the entrance. The others were quick to follow: they were quickly tiring, and more of the creatures continued to pour out of the portal that Andrew had accidentally opened. As she left the grotto, Tiffany criss-crossed the beams of Eco, working them to form a cage. The group took off down a tunnel, following Andrew and Tiffany- and eager to put as much distance between themselves and the creatures as possible…

* * *

"Why'd you stop me Jak?" Margaret yelled. Jak looked unperturbed as he helped her back up. He pointed at Alecis and shook his head. 

"Jak's right," Veston said as he joined them, having first checked to see if Alecis was unconscious. "We need her alive."

"That's a relief," Alecis said as she opened her eyes. Everyone looked down at her and Jak summoned a Yellow Eco Blade. He quickly slashed the device on her right hand and smashed the one in her left before she could react. He then lifted her up by the left hand and threw her seven feet away, relying only on his strength. Alecis landed roughly and rolled until she could stand up. Jak went running at her with his Blade. Veston summoned two Eco Blades and ran at the Sage as well. Margaret turned on her Red Eco Box and ran after Alecis along with the others.

Alecis held her left hand out and the Eco Blades dispersed into thin air before shooting at Alecis, who gathered the Red and Yellow Ecos in a different hand. She continued the draw strength from Margaret until the Amplifier realized what was happening and turned off her Red Eco Box.

Alecis laughed cruelly as she threw the Yellow Eco into the air as a large, twenty foot wide disk. It hovered above the trio before bolts of Yellow Eco shot out. Jak jumped back and collided with Margaret, who tripped over Veston, who had fallen over when he had bumped into Jak. All three Channelers tripped over each other and fell, where a giant bolt leapt from the disk hovering above them. Jak braced himself for the pain, as did the others, but the pain never came. Jak opened his eyes…

And saw that he was covered by Yellow Eco. Alecis had coated his skin with it, so that if he moved to activate his Eco Belt, he would be hurt. He could only assume that the same fate had befallen the others. Alecis extended her right hand and fire streamed out, covering the group in a large, but shrinking semi-circle.

"This is where it ends for you Jak. I don't know how you snuck by Zeorro and Santar, but now you die," Alecis hissed as the circle got so close Jak could feel the heat. He was trapped, he knew it. If he tried to get his Green Eco Box as a shield, he would be cut to bits by the Yellow Eco. But if he remained where he was, the fire would burn him to death. Suddenly, when the flames were less than a foot away, they died out. A scream split the air and Jak looked over at Alecis to see her clawing at her back, an arrow sticking out of it.

"Keira!" Jak thought. "By the Precursors, she saved us all!" He was right. Keira looked at Alecis with anger, but tried to keep in mind the fact that she was only a mindless slave of Gol's. Or at least, she was, Keira thought with grim satisfaction.

"Thanks be to the Precursors!" Alecis said with her musical voice. "I'm free at last!"

* * *

"Alecis," Keira said, not sure how to ask this without sounding offensive. 

"Yes?" Alecis said as she sat down after serving everyone a cup of tea. Keira had declined, requesting hot chocolate instead.

"Why are there so many Channelers all of a sudden. It seems as though many are finding their powers only since the black sun arrived. Does that mean that when it vanishes, their powers will as well?" Alecis sighed, a long and weary sight that had the weight of the world behind it.

"I will tell you the full legend behind the Dark Eco Silos," she said.

* * *

"Here we are," Andrew said as the group emerged from the Spider Caves. Everyone stared at the Desert Collossus, not believing that they really had to cross it. "There's the house," he said to Bryan and Lauren, pointing to the house Jak, Keira, Benedict and Samos had stayed four months ago. "Normally, Gordy would charge you a fortune to stay here, but there's a password. Just go up to him and say 'pardon me miss, could I have this dance?' When he acts confused, grab him by the shoulders and spin him around before leaning him back. While Bryan does that, Lauren, you have to give Willard, the one with a bird cage on his head, a piggy back ride." 

Bryan and Lauren looked stunned at this pronouncement. "And that's what we have to do? You're positive?"

"Absolutely," Andrew said sincerely. Bryan and Lauren sighed as they went up to knock as Andrew got a Chaser for Cara, who had never ridden a horse before.

* * *

"The Silos are supposed to bring a utopia for Channelers," Alecis said. "That is why so many are discovering their powers: their bodies are trying to adapt to this new world before they are wiped out with the non-Channelers. There is a certain genome that allows an individual to Channel Eco. Usually, it does not show itself right away except for powerful Channelers. Those who have the gift usually find out about it during a period of heightened emotional stress. With the Silos open and death and destruction everywhere, its no wonder that people are discovering their powers. So although the black sun is an overall curse, it is not without its benefits." 

"Well, that's one mystery solved," Keira said as she sat back, her mind still trying to process all that she had learned, not only about the Silos, but about the new weapon the Lurkers were building in the fort on Snowy Mountain. It had already been agreed that Veston and Margaret would go up there when the group split up the next day. Although Daxter had claimed that they were going simply so they could test out new ways to keep warm, eliciting blushes from the two.

"What do you mean, '_one_ mystery.'" Alecis asked sharply. Keira told the Sage about the strange monsters that had attacked the group.

"We need to know where they came from," Keira finished. She looked over at the Sage and was shocked to see that Alecis' face was sheet white, and she looked on the verge of fainting. Jak leapt up and got the Sage a cool drink of water while Keira ran to the Sage to try to calm her down. After Alecis had gotten the water down and calmed herself, she opened her mouth, which was dry despite the water she had just drunk.

"There is more I need to tell you. I know the terrible secret behind those creatures…"

* * *

My Favorite Authors (They are listed alphabetically, not by preference.) 

1. Amathist Fwirrel

2. animedragongirl

3. Keeroshu

4. Light-Eco-Sage

5. Red Mage 04

6. Silver-WindScar

* * *

Hey, sorry about the lateness, my parents are really making it tough for me. Anyway, I'll try to get another chapter up on Sunday. Key word being try. Oh, and some of you (particularly CrazyOttsel) noticed that Chapter 35 seemed a little off. I found out why. I left a major piece of it out. Don't ask me how when it was on a computer. ANyway, I uploaded it with this chapter so you might want to go check that out.

* * *

Quote of the week- Me

Me: Rule #13 of Life: Those with potential for great good possess also within them the potential for great evil.


	45. The Necromancy Portal

To those who reviewed:

* * *

CrazyOttsel- Thanks for the compliment. I hope that you find the secret behind the monsters acceptable, as I decided that for the final plot twist I have I needed Gol to have a new army. If you could email me or send me a message, I'd be happy to clear any confusion with Alecis. Oh, and I hope you saw what I added to Chapter 35. There was a section there that I accidentally left out, which I just found and loaded, so it might help the romance there. I might not update today (computer got damaged in a thunderstorm) but Monday at the latest Chapter 45 will be up.

GoodMorningBeautiful2005- Yup, the secret will be revealed. I sent you a couple of emails, but I guess you didn't receive them. I need to know a few things before I turn out the new chapter, which I plan on writing at night on my senior trip this weekend. I'll have it to you by next Tuesday if you can give me what I need before I leave. It's not a lot, just what happens, who fights who, who wins, and what are the powers I can use? I hope you see this, because I'm putting my own story on hiatus until I turn out your chapter.

Silver-WindScar- Actually, I don't believe in that saying at all. I believe that perfect practice makes perfect, but that's me. And yes, you WILL update :P. Thanks for the reassurance- now I don't have to change anything! Lazy! (dances and emotionally scars witnesses).

Disclaimer: I don't own this, save for the demented stuff I added.

* * *

The Necromancy Portal

"Explain to me again the nature of these creatures," Alecis asked wearily as she put a hand against her head and rubbed vigorously in an attempt to alleviate a headache that was starting.

"Well, they were all skin and bones. It didn't look like they had any internal organs or blood. They had bright yellow eyes that you could sense. Like, if they looked at you, you would know, and you could tell when they were facing you and looking somewhere else. Two long, pointy ears that looked as though they were just skin poked through a straw hat covering their heads." Keira summarized. "And another thing. They had a lot of metal. They had swords, as well as plated armor over their hips shoulders and chest."

Alecis closed her eyes, knowing that what she dreaded had truly come to pass. "Those creatures... are the Shirhak."

"Shi... rhak?" Veston asked, trying to pronounce the new word.

"Yes. They arrived through a Necromancy Portal. The Portal works one way only. It allows the demons that inhabit Legatee to slip into our world. The worse part is that anyone killed by a Shirhak and dies because of it becomes a Shirhak themselves. When a Shirhak is destroyed, the tormented soul inside is freed at last and given eternal rest in Foretaste, so although the Shirhak were once elves, don't feel any qualms about killing them." Everyone sat still as they tried to understand what had happened, and tried to predict how this could affect the war.

"Wait, what's this Necromancy Portal you mentioned?" Margaret asked, wondering if the portal might be the way to stop the Shirhak.

"The Necromancy Portal is a portal that links our elfin world to the demonic realm. It was crafted by an evil Precursor that fell from grace and started a war with the remainder of the other Precursors. You see-"

"Wait a second!" Daxter shouted. "Are you trying to tell me that the Precursors killed one another?"

"Yes, and a horrible war it was. So powerful was it that the war nearly destroyed the entire planet." Alecis paused to let this fact sink in before she continued. "Anyway, halfway through the war, the dark Precursor created the Necromancy Portal in an attempt to summon the demons. But he realized that he needed a great amount of power to open it first, which is why he tried to get to the Dark Eco Silos. After changing the original function, he tried to open it, but a group of noble Precursors found out about his plan and slayed him. Unfortunately, they could not change the function of the Dark Eco Silos back to its original one."

"What was the real intention of the Dark Eco Silos?" Keira asked, wondering if the history of the Precursors could get any weirder.

"To save the world. The Precursors gathered all of the excess Dark Eco that was killing the world and put it in the Silos. They then intended to blast it out into space, but one Precursor thought that they should use the Dark Eco as a weapon and try to conquer other worlds. This was the war, and the war is now coming to an end."

"What do you mean?" Veston asked, getting a headache from all this new information.

"There was an ancient prophecy. I'll read it to you." Alecis raised her hand and a scroll glowed bright blue before zooming into her hand. She unfolded it and cleared her throat.

"Yea, but the true war had not been fought, but only postponed. One day, a powerful evil will rise and wield the Dark Light as a power. But all hope shall not be lost. For the defenders of Weyard will rise up against his twisted empire of the undead and challenge him. Armed with the blood of the planet, they will rise up to challenge the bringer of the Dark Sun, the beacon for all destruction. The battle will rage back and forth until finally Light meets Shadow. Only then will the true victor emerge, and a new era of destruction or redemption will be ushered in." Silence met this strange pronouncement as everyone realized that the events that were happening in the here and now had been predicted by the gods themselves more than a millennia ago.

"Hey Alecis," Veston said after a few minutes of contemplation, "do you have any idea what's going on in the Lurker Fort on the Mountain?"

"That reminds me. One of you are going to have to climb the mountain using the dirigible and destroy the Fort."

"Well, we planned on doing that anyway, but why?" Margaret asked.

"Because of Gol. I told you about the Necromancy Portal. Well, it needs an enormous amount of power to be opened, and Gol used the Dark Eco Crystal that he had been storing inside his fake arm." As Jak heard this, he suspected that the Crystal might have been what gave Gol the power to stop Eco Sabers and Eco based attacks with his metal gauntlet. "He's now having a new one constructed in the Fort, and if he gets it, he will be just as powerful as he was before. Without the Crystal though, he is weakened slightly, which means you will have an edge on him."

Jak happily thought of Gol's reaction when he found out that there was an "accident" in the Lurker Fort.

"I can get you up the Mountain by letting you take the dirigible, but you will have to sneak back down later."

"Why?" Margaret asked, a slight quaver in hr voice.

"Gol will believe me if I say that whoever snuck up the Mountain did so when I was contacting him. But the jig would be up if I allowed you to come down in plain sight. He would never believe I allowed the perpetrators to get back down, especially if he sees the dirigible returned afterwards." Margaret swore under her breath: the thought of climbing down Snowy Mountain terrified her, but she put her fear to bed, knowing that she would deal with it when the time arose.

"Wait a second Alecis," Keira said, thinking of something. "Is there any way to close the Necromancy Portal?" The Sage smiled.

"As a matter of fact there is, and it is the goal you already have in mind- close the Dark Eco Silos."

"What good'll that do?" Daxter asked.

"Well, once opened, the Portal requires a sufficient amount of Necromantic energy to remain open. With the Dark Eco Silos open, the black sun that is orbiting Weyard emits powerful waves of Necromantic energy. Even if the portal is undergorund, it will still receive the power."

"So does that mean that Dark Eco is Necromantic in nature?" Keira asked.

"No. Dark Eco is simply an impure Eco. If there was a way to purify it, then the power that Eco would possess would be almost unimaginable."

"So, by re-opening the Dark Eco Silos, the back sun will vanish, the Necromancy Portal will close, and the world will return to normal," Veston summed up.

"That's the gist of it."

"So the plan for us is to head to Pampas Islet and free Tarea while Veston and Margaret climb the mountain and stop Gol from receiving another Dark Eco Crystal," Keira said.

"Close, but I would appreciate it if you would make a slight detour on your way to Pampas Islet," Alecis said. "There is an uncharted island about fifteen miles southwest of Pampas Islet. It is inhabited by two Channelers: a Storage Channeler named Richard and an Adaptor Channeler named Meredith. They are master of fighting without weapons. I suggest you visit them and consider training under their tutelage for a week or so. Doing so will definitely give you an edge with fighting." Keira looked at Jak and he nodded and shrugged.

"All right then, I guess we'll visit them. They, er, are friendly, aren't they?" Keira asked.

"Of course. A little blunt and brutally honest, but I would trust them with my life." Alecis declared.

"All right then. We'll split up tomorrow," Veston said as he rose and walked outside the hut, being careful to stay out of sight of everyone. He paced back and forth, mentally preparing himself for the next day, which would be his toughest challenge yet.

The next morning dawned bright and cold for the group. Jak, Daxter and Keira bade farewell to Veston and Margaret, finding it harder to split up with the elves they ha come to know so well. After assuring each other that one day they would reunite, Veston and Margaret boarded the dirigible.

"Move over Jak, I'm driving," Keira said as she shoved Jak aside. He looked at her sulkily but did not protest, seeing as he had driven everywhere lately, and Keira had built the Zoomer in the first place. "Use this time to rest Jak," Keira said as she turned on the Zoomer. "You don't know what the training will be, but you know it won't be easy." Jak nodded and wrapped his arms around Keira's flat stomach, squeezing her slightly as he adjusted himself on the seat. He buried his face in Keira's hair and vowed to stay awake as long as he oculd in case Keira should need him.

Right before falling asleep.

Keira smirked slightly as she gunned the motor and took off, starting slowly so she would not wake Jak before they arrived on the island. As Keira drove, she reflected on how much their lives had changed ever since she and Jak had become an item. Even though she had experienced more grief and seen more battle than most full grown elves, Keira knew that if she had to choose becoming friends with Jak again, knowing what would happen if she did, she still would.

Three hours later, Keira finally arrived on the island. It matched Alecis' description, and she saw two elves making their way towards the Zoomer. She rose and was pulled back by Jak, who pouted slightly. Keira tried to get up again before telling Jak to let her go. Asleep, his only response was to pout, shake his head, and pull her closer. Keira turned and gave him a kiss, and Jak's arms relaxed, letting her shake him awake. After explaining to him what was happening, Keira and Jak, with Daxter on the latter's shoulder, waited for the two Channelers known as Rich and Margaret to arrive...

* * *

"I can't believe they're going to do it," Andrew whispered gleefully as he watched Bryan and Lauren approach Gordy and Willard. Tiffany shushed him, leaning around the side of the house so she could hear better.

"You Gordy?" Bryan asked with the air of wanting to get the worst over with as soon as possible.

"Yeah," Gordy said gruffly. Bryan sighed and, still not believing he was really going to do this, opened his mouth.

"Pardon me miss, could I have this dance?" He asked as he performed a curtsey. As he did that, Lauren sauntered up to Willard and hoisted him up on her shoulders. Willard started clapping as Gordy looked at Bryan in utter disbelief, his right eyebrow twitching. Bryan's cheeks flamed as he heard hysterical laughter break out from behind him. He and Lauren turned around to see their four companions rolling around in hysterics. Bryan's cheeks flushed redder, this time out of anger.

"You... you..." he spluttered, lost for words.

"YOU!" Gordy roared. Andrew smiled at the stout man, who ran up to him and shook his hand fiercely. "You sly old fox. Where've you been?" Andrew told Gordy the entire tale, with Cara, Liz, Tiffany, Bryan and Lauren also giving their accounts.

* * *

"By the Precursors," Gordy muttered as he stared out the window. The sun had long since set, and the red moon had risen above the sands that swirled as a wind disturbed them.

"So now you know why we're here. Bryan and Lauren will stay here and guard you, lest the old bag of bones finds out what we're up to."

"And me," Cara said.

"What! Why?" Tiffany exclaimed.

"I don't know, but I think its what I need to do," she said with a shrug. "Call it a hunch."

"This works out perfectly," Tiffany muttered to herself.

"Anyway, how will you get us to Gol's Citadel?" Gordy asked, a slight quaver in his voice.

"The Warp Gate. We'll teleport you to The City in The Sky and then transport you from there to the Citadel," Liz said.

"Well, all right. We'll do it, but we won't like it," Gordy said gruffly.

"Duh, Gordy," Willard said as he flapped his arms to get his partners attention.

"Yes Willard?" Gordy said, with the air of talking to a child.

"We gonna make the bad man's tower go boom?" Willard exclaimed.

"Yes Willard," Gordy said, a little shortly.

"Well, now that that's settled, I think we should all go to bed," Liz said as she got up ad stretched.

The next morning, Tiffany, Andrew, and Liz got on the horses and began their journey.

"How long'll it take us to get to Wasteland Metropolis?" Liz asked.

"Seventeen days."

"A week," Andrew and Tiffany answered at the same time.

"Since when can your horses go three times faster?" Andrew asked.

"Well, I never showed you guys this. My horses are a little... unique," Tiffany said evasively.

"How so?" Liz asked.

"I'll show you," Tiffany said before letting out a loud whistle and gripping the reins tighter. "Hold on tight!" she shouted as she leaned back. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that her companions had done as she instructed.

Knotting one hand into Charlie's mane, the Channeler put her other hand in a praying position. The horses leapt forward with lurches that almost unseated Andrew and Liz, set their hooves upon a pathway of air, and stretched out their strides in what seemed like an ordinary gallop- except that with every step, the horses were climbing higher and higher into the skies.

The first think Andrew noticed was the cold, which increased as he mounted higher, and the strengthening wind, which made his eyes water and his ears ache, and blew his hair back from his face. Maestro's rhythmic stride felt almost identical to what it had always felt like, save that the motion was more fluid, without the jarring impact as his hooves struck the ground. Except for that one detail, Andrew could almost imagine himself riding along on the ground in an ordinary fashion- so long as he didn't look down. For a long time, he was _very_ careful no to do that. He clung to Maestro's back like a burr, crouching low over his neck with his eyes screwed shut, and when he gained the courage to open them (mostly because he decided that it was worse to not see what was going on than to see) he looked down and realized that they weren't very far up, only a mile or so. For someone who had climbed mountains before, the height no longer seemed a problem.

At least, it didn't seem a problem to Andrew. Liz, however, was a different matter. Finally, she mustered enough courage to look down at the ground. Glowing in the light of the black sun, it swung dizzily beneath her in remote but perfect detail. Eventually, it lost its intimidation and became more appealing as Liz realized that she was experiencing the power of flight: precious few elves had had the privilege she was entitle to.

"By the Precursors. Cara doesn't know what she's missing out on!" Liz shouted, earning herself a grin from her companions. Tiffany gripped the reins of Charlie and shouted at him to move faster. The horses took off like shooting stars across the sky, making their way to Wasteland Metropolis.

* * *

Jak studied the individuals before him and realized they were not what he had expected. Richard was about five feet nine inches, with dull gray hair that stuck straight up. His deep brown eyes were alert, the markings of a fighter, and his body gave off a sense of authority and power. The woman was no less intimidating. With silver hair braided down to her back, and eyes to match her spouse's, she looked every bit the master fighter. What intrigued Jak was their hands, which had tattoos. On Richard, there was a yellow crescent on his right hand and a red crescent on his left. Margaret had a blue diamond on her left hand and a green diamond on her right hand.

"Who're you? And what are you doing here?" Richard asked gruffly. Before Keira could yell at the newcomer for being rude, his companion did it for her.

"Rich! What kind of way is that to talk?" she asked in a low voice before apologizing.

"My name is Keira, and this is Jak-" who inclined his head- "and Daxter-" who gave a sleeping grunt and turned over in his sleep.

"So. What are you doing here?" Richard repeated, earning himself another smack. "I mean, what brings you to our island?"

"Alecis: the Master of Precursor History. She said you could train Jak," Keira said.

"Aye, I could, if the boy would speak up for himself," Richard sad, eyeing the two elves with a level of trust and friendliness. After all, if they were lying, he would soon know about it.

"He can't speak. He's a mute," Keira said, not flinching as the brown eyes narrowed at her. Meredith rolled her eyes and welcomed them to the island before insisting Keira come with her so she could get something to eat. Jak was left alone with Richard, who strode up to him and clapped him on the shoulder, suddenly warm and inviting.

"Come on then lad, let's get to work!" Jak looked slightly taken aback: they were going to train now?

"Hey gramps. Don't you need an afternoon nap?" Daxter asked. He had only pretended to be sleeping, not really wanting to have to talk to newcomers, but couldn't resist.

"Don't think low of me just because I'm old," Richard said as he continued walking. Jak shook his shoulder to quiet his companion before Richard turned around and threw a punch aimed at Jak's nose. The young Channeler reacted instantly: leaning back and kicking Richard in the ribs before skipping back and entering a fighting stance. "Good reflexes, but you need more strength on that little love-tap," Richard said. Jak's eyebrows went up in surprise: he had not tried to hurt his teacher, but he believed that the kick should have at least ached in some way.

"Right, you're going to fight me right now," Richard said, entering a fighting stance of his own. Jak noticed that the front hand dropped, and the head leaned forward. Jak's hands went to his Eco Box Belt and Richard shook his head. "No gizmos or Eco. Just you and me. You have to be prepared to fight without Eco, because one day, it _will_ happen." Jak nodded, but gulped when Richard picked up two falchions off the floor and leveled them at Jak. His breathed easier when his opponent put them down on the other side of the arena.

Only to gasp for breath as Richard darted in and punched him in the chest.

"C'mon boy, let's see what you got," Richard said with a smile as Jak started to fight.

* * *

"So what is Rich doing with Jak?" Keira asked, slightly apprehensive. Meredith put a plate of hot soup down in front of the aqua haired girl and smiled warmly.

"He's going to fight Jak, neither of them using Eco. My husband doesn't believe in using it outside of serious battle."

"He won't hurt him though, will he?"

"Of course he will. Not seriously, but your friend is going to go to bed with a few bruises tonight," Meredith said with a smile. Keira ate the meal and spent the next hour and a half filling Meredith in on why they were journeying north. Just as she finished her tale, Jak limped in, Richard coming in behind him.

"Jak!" Keira shouted in distress. Jak smiled weakly at her: his face was covered in bruises, and blood was leaking out of a wound in his arm, which was covered in bruises as well. Keira looked at Richard, who was sporting a bloody nose and two deep bruises on his chest.

"Your friend there has a lot of potential," he said thickly. "But he leaves his head wide open, and he has to learn how to parry better, not to mention pull his leg back faster when he kicks. To his credit, he managed to hit me a few times," he added, seeing Keira turn a dangerous shade of red. Meredith also noticed and swiftly intervened.

"Look here Keira, Jak will be better in the morning. We have medicine that will accelerate his healing. He'll be in some discomfort, but in the morning, the bruises will be gone and he won't have a limp. He must be very good already if he was able to hit Rich. Normally, they only get one blow in- and you can't even tell." Meredith forced a spoonful of gray sludge down Jak's throat, who immediately started coughing and gagging.

"You should go to bed. You can take him in there and sleep with him tonight. Just keep it quiet," Meredith said with a wink, which caused Keira to turn a shade of red she had not thought possible. Meredith and Richard chuckled as they left Keira alone with Jak, the latter of which was confused as to what Keira was so embarrassed about.

Over the next week, Jak continued his training, and he was rapidly improving. He went to bed sore every night, but was also happy.

On the seventh day, Keira looked outside and screamed to alert the house hold.

"SHIRHAK!" she shouted. Jak bolted out of bed and looked out. Sure enough, scores of the creatures were advancing upon the house. Rich and Meredith came downstairs.

"Well now Jak, this is your first test. Go out there and deal with them. We'll watch," Meredith said cheerfully. Keira looked at her in shock, and even Richard seemed uncomfortable with the idea.

"Maybe I should go with him. After all, he-"

"No Richard. He needs to do this alone. You can do it Jak," Meredith added.

"He better," thought Keira, "or I'll skin you both."

"He ain't goin' alone," Daxter said. "I'm goin' with him," he declared as he climbed Jak's shoulder. Jak smiled at his friend for his loyalty and stepped outside and immediately charged the enemy, dodging blow after blow and retaliating with deadly results.

"See," Meredith said calmly. "He's more than capable of handling this on his own." Richard nodded, impressed with the progress his student had made, while Keira watched in admiration- and prayed that Jak would not be injured.

An hour later, Jak came back in, sweaty and breathing heavy, but unharmed. Richard and Meredith roared with approval and forced a drink on the young teen. Jak chocked as he spit the drink out but decided after a second taste that he liked it.

"Takkin. Puts fire in the blood," Richard said with a grin. "And my wife here makes it with no alcohol, so you don't get stupid," he said as he passed a cup to Keira, who had a reaction similar to Jak's.

After the party, Richard and Meredith got serious. "Right then, you had best get to Pampas Islet. We'll wait for you to defeat Tarea, just think of it as a lesson, and then we'll join you," Richard said as he led the two young elves and their furry companion to the Zoomer. "Good luck, but you won't need it Jak," he said with a fond smile. Jak got on the Zoomer and took off for the large island in the distance. Richard watched until they left his sight and his wife came outside.

"You like him?"

"Of course. He's a good lad."

"He's powerful."

"Yes. Maybe, just maybe, he can accomplish what we failed to do..." Richard said as the two walked back into their hut.

* * *

"Damn these things," Bryan exclaimed as he threw away his metal blade. A stronger Shirhak had appeared and cut it in half with a broadsword. Bryan summoned a Blue Eco Blade and spun it in circles, creating rings of Blue Eco. As the rings hit the various Shirhak, the monsters froze in place, becoming easy targets for Lauren and Cara. Bryan shot a beam of Eco out of his left hand while twirling his Eco Blade in his right to parry a strike and behead the Shirhak that had attacked him.

Cara was faring slightly better then Bryan, having kept her blade. She had coated the hilt in Blue Eco and was throwing it like a boomerang, using the power of the Eco to return it to her. Lauren was keeping the Shirhak from getting to close to the Coordinator using her trusty bow and arrow. Unfortunately, she did not notice one armed with a spear get close to her. Bryan did however, and threw his body into her, getting her out of the way at his own expense.

Lauren turned around as she heard a gasp of pain and saw Bryan on the ground, lying in a puddle of blood and Blue Eco. She shook with rage as she fired three Yellow Eco tipped arrows into the skull of the spearman and sank down to her knees. Her body seemed to glow blue as she wept in agony. She looked up, her eyes brimming with tears, and filled with rage.

"STOP!" she screamed. Miraculously, everything did just that. Shirhak froze in mid-strike as well as mid-leap and even the sands being blown around by the wind was frozen. Everything stopped, save for Bryan, Lauren and Cara, who all looked around.

"Lauren! You're a Channeler!" Bryan exclaimed before passing out. Lauren stared at her own hands in amazement before turning on Bryan's Green Eco Box and sighing with relief as his skin knit itself back together.

* * *

Charlie, Maestro and Harry touched down after a week's journey on the outskirts of Wasteland Metropolis.

"Everybody ready?" Andrew asked as they marched into the town, ready to challenge Potentia.

"Yup," Tiffany said as she instructed her horses to stay safely away. Liz nodded, calming herself and readying her mind for the epic battle to come.

* * *

"Damn heights," Margaret muttered as the dirigible made its slow, steady way up the mountain. She didn't even want to think about climbing down, but, like before, she figured she would deal with that problem when it came.

The two Channelers entered the Lurker Fort, having been told of the secret entrance. As they looked around, Veston noticed that the Fort had a definite feeling of _wrongness_ that filled the air. Just as he was about to mention this fact to Margaret, a green cloud erupted in front of them, and a blue slash of energy went flying by.

Veston and Margaret both dived in opposite directions, Veston summoning his Red Eco Blade while Margaret concentrated her powers and coated her arms in Red Eco before setting her own skin on fire. Having perfected this move, however, Margaret felt absolutely no heat whatsoever, but her tests had proves that her new attack could melt rocks away.

Veston swung his blade and smiled when he heard a grunt come from the green smoke that was rapidly dissipating. As the smoke cleared, Veston saw his nemesis, and he realized that stronger Shirhak were beginning to leak through the Necromancy Portal. A six foot tall demon with a single, blood-colored eye stared at him and snarled as it lifted a broadsword that was as long as Veston was tall. The monster swung it horizontally and Veston leapt into the air and landed on the blade. He raised his Eco Blade and prepared to stab the creature, only to be blasted backwards by a Red Eco beam that was shot out of the monster's eye. As he went flying back, Margaret rushed in and stopped the sword with her bare hands, the fire lacing her fingers melting the blade away.

As the blade melted in two, Margaret dashed forward, jammed her fists into the monster's chest and began flooding the inside with flames. Veston darted forward and beheaded the beast, watching without pity as it fell backwards, crumbling away all the time. By the time it hit the ground, its body was little more than a pile of ashes, easily scattered by the wind from Veston and Margaret's footprints as they crossed the chamber and entered the main hall of the Lurker Fort.

Or they would have, had the two statue adorning the entrance suddenly come to life and attack them. Veston leapt back as Margaret threw a massive beam of Yellow Eco at the offending Shirhak, destroying their armor and revealing the skin and bones of the creatures inside. Veston leapt forward, using his Eco Blade to cut through their bodies and shear them in half. Once again, the monsters wailed as they died, their bodies crumbling away as they hit the ground. Veston and Margaret headed inside the Lurker Fort at last, gagging on the stench of blood that hung heavy in the air.

It was clear that Gol no longer held any affection for the Lurkers whatsoever and had ordered them slaughtered. Organs hung from the wall as if they were decorations, the skeletons, stripped of flesh and muscles, were also hung from fans, as though the Shirhak had turned them into puppets before departing. Margaret retched as her eyes lay upon a Lurker that was lying on the floor, its own heart shoved into its mouth while its intestines were used as rope to tie it up. She leaned against the wall, slipping as she realized it was covered in blood and gore, and was quietly but very effectively ill.

Veston, while used to seeing nasty injuries and slightly sickening sights, was fighting the urge that Margaret had just succumbed to. Nevertheless, he managed to pull himself together and keep his breakfast inside his own body.

Until he saw the image that drove him over the edge: a Lurker and its child. The mother, for that was Veston assumed it was, had died trying to shield its young, who had had small pieces of its body hacked off and shoved into a homemade hole in its mother's hollowed out skull. Bile rose in Veston's throat and he opened his mouth, vomiting violently all over the floor.

After a few minutes, both he and Margaret regained enough of their wits to leave the room, vowing not to exit through that scene from a nightmare- even if they had to blow a hole through the wall.

Veston spotted a piece of paper on a metal door and grabbed it, trying to make out its message. Unfortunately, there were blood stains on it, so he could only make out a few words.

"Dark... Crystal on... level. System... ure. Squad... heck on... co Crystal." he read.

"What's that mean?" Margaret asked, the light filtering through the windows showing how pale she still was.

"I think it says that the Dark Eco Crystal is on the level that the Lurkers sent a team to. All we have to do is ride the elevator to that floor." Margaret nodded before digging her hands inside the seam of the doors and prying them apart. She sent a beam of Yellow Eco down the shaft and saw that the elevator seemed to be on the lowest level. She relayed the message to Veston, who summoned a Red Eco Blade. "Grab on," he said, right before jumping down the tunnel and jamming his Blade into the wall to control his descent.

For hours the two seemed to descend, until it looked as though they had descended the entire mountain from the inside. The two landed on the elevator so hard that they fell through the ceiling and landed- rather painfully- on the floor. They scrambled to their feet as they heard footsteps approaching. They looked up to see the Shirhak that had caused the damage upstairs... and had just finished wreaking similar damage down here. Without a word, Margaret gathered her powers and flung them at the offending Shirhak, noticing a small crystal made out of solid Dark Eco behind him. As the dust cleared, she guessed that the lone Shirhak had been guarding the Crystal.

"Stay back!" Veston shouted. Margaret looked at him just before a blast of Yellow Eco hit her in the stomach and smacked her against the wall. Veston looked at the offending Shirhak and realized, with a shiver, that he didn't have a scratch on his skin; or a nick in his armor...

* * *

Jak and Keira landed on Pampas Islet, ready to battle Tarea, the Master of Precursor Technology. Jak had finally conceded defeat and allowed Keira to partake in the battle that was coming up ahead. Dangerous though it would be, Keira had convinced him by saying that he would die if he was alone, and if he died, so did the planet's best chance for survival.

A cold wind blew from the north as Jak and Keira walked to the village of Pampas Islet, ready for the mind-controlled Sage.

* * *

"Very good," Gol muttered, "very good Jak. Make your way back to the Citadel. I will finally have my revenge on you, as I force you to slaughter your friends and become Lord of the Shirhak..."

* * *

Okay, this story is on hiatus until I can finish Chapter 11 of Dark Angel, a story by GoodMorningBeautiful2005. That being said, I would love any comments or thoughts you might have, particularly on the images in the Lurker Fort. I hope they didn't suck too badly. I hope you enjoyed this one.

* * *

My Favorite Authors (They are listed alphabetically, not by preference.)

1. Amathist Fwirrel

2. animedragongirl

3. Keeroshu

4. Light-Eco-Sage

5. Red Mage 04

6. Silver-WindScar

* * *

Quote of the week- Me

Me: Rule #14 of Life (inspired by Stewart Gilligan Griffin): Once sand gets inside a household, it is impossible to get it all out again.


	46. Dual Duels

To those who reviewed:

* * *

GoodMorningBeautiful2005- Do I sense a crush? Actually, Jak doesn't have any new powers or anything like that. All his training did was show him the he can fight and defeat enemies without using Eco, saving it for more difficult battles ahead. As to what I'm doing for you, I'm not doing it soon enough. And unfortunately, I have to break my promise to you. I said that you would have Chapter 11 by Sunday night. Unfortunately, I got home from my Senior Trip at 7:30ish and I might not be able to transfer it all from paper to the computer along with my Spanish project. But for the first time (I think) I will compliment my own work: I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the adventure that I turned out. 

Amathist Fwirrel- Hello yourself. Nice to see you up and about, both writing and reviewing. Thanks very much for the compliment on my writing, though I feel I still have a long way to go before I am satisfied with my mediocre skill level. Yup, the action is reaching the breaking point. As for the portal, I included it for a reason, and I have my friend Ronaldo to thank for it. I had an idea that might explain Haven City (which I shall divulge to no one). In order for it to work, Gol would need a new army, so Ronaldo suggested opening a portal to a demon world. I don't know what you're referring to by protecting my identity; so if you have a question, just ask. Old-timer? I let you young whippersnapper know that I'm a mere 117. Er, 17. But people look at me and would never think I was a fighter, so I decided to transfer that quality over to my character by making him old. Face it; I wouldn't expect a 50 yr old man to be as dangerous as a few teenagers. The demons are actually based off of the Genma from Onimusha, which was an idea of Bryan's. Between him and Ronaldo, I have enough diversity to create a pretty powerful army. Foretaste is the heaven in my version of Jak's world. It's a synonym of precursor. Legatee is hell, because it is an antonym of precursor. If you have an idea for limbo (other than "limbo") please let me know. Hope you catch up on sleep, seeing as I'll be burning the midnight oil for a while to finish off the load of schoolwork I got before finals.

Silver-WindScar- Yup, I put myself in. And I'm happy to say that I'll be staying alive, as well as everyone else. If you like what I've done so far, wait until you see the Channeler tournament at the end of the book. Whoops. Wasn't supposed to tell you that. It'll be our little secret. ;). And yes, I saw your update. Great chapter: I liked it when Draco pissed himself; and everyone threatened the hat; and the embarrassment everyone seems to experience. Unfortunately, I may not be able to update for a while: my parents have now forbidden me to do anything related to fanfiction, which includes both reading and writing it. Ironically, I finally got that 80 in Spanish, which is why they increased the punishment. They think that by grounding me, I'll really improve. So, this just means I'll have to work on it on paper and type it up when they're not around. And its on hiatus anyway, at least until I finished chapter 11 of Dark Angel, which should be tonight. Now, I give you the same request- UPDATE! (Gets on hands and knees and begs.)

Red Mage 04- Too bad about your computer: fanfiction does that to me a lot too. Hey, you're only human (I hope) so its okay if you don't get every single update that I have. I miss people's all the time. Good luck on your finals, and I would kill for all A's. As such, I'm stuck with two A's, three B's, a C and the D that is Spanish. Good to know I have your character down, and as for soda, hm... Just so you know, my personal goal is to have Gol break every single rule on that List. And the funny part will be that he won't learn jack from it when he returns (slaps hand over mouth). No, I have not played either game, though I did want to throw in one final plot twist at the end, for which I needed Gol to have a new army. When my friend suggested a portal to the underworld and explained it, I thought it could work, so I decided to give it a try. And now I'm stuck with it, so I'll just have to do the best I can. As for wanting to make Jak a Demon King, Gol thinks it will be a just punishment for Jak to become the lord of the undead and order his minions to slaughter every single one of his friends. Too bad you have writers block, but it's always worth the wait for you. I hope I can write again, but unfortunately, my parents have put a stop to that.

Keeroshu- Hey, you're a busy person, I understand. Anyway, the fact that you find time eventually to review says a lot, because reviewing isn't mandatory. In retrospect, you're right: I didn't realize how long it has gotten either until I combined all the chapters onto one document and wound up with 350 pages. And the fact that you said that I kept it interesting for so long is good, because that's the trick when it comes to writing novels. Next chapter will be up in a week or two, as I have finals this week and won't have much time for writing. If I finish with an 85 average on the finals, my punishment is lifted before I graduate. If not, then, I have to wait for the end of June, so keep your fingers crossed and wish me good luck.

I own nothing, save what my overly active imagination has cooked up.

* * *

Dual Duels 

Veston looked at the Shirhak general with hatred etched into his face. True, he had little love for Lurkers, save Hatu, but what this monster had done to then was sickening. Veston looked out of the corner of his eye to see if Margaret was okay. To his relief, she was getting back up.

"You cannot defeat me," the Shirhak said as it ran forward. Veston drew his sword and blocked the attack aimed at his head. The two struggled as the Shirhak tried to overwhelm Veston. The Channeler tried to hold his own, but this thing's strength was incredible. As he dropped to his knees, a large beam of energy hit the Shirhak and caused it to reel off to the side. Margaret rushed in, her hands glowing with energy. As she reached the Shirhak, she punched forward and hit the demon in the chest. A blast of energy left her hand and caused the demon to fly back. As it flew through the air, it swung its sword in a vertical line. A trail of Dark Eco left the sword and flew through the air, aimed at Margaret's chest.

Veston swung his sword and aimed a slash of Yellow Eco at the incoming attack. His blast intercepted the Shirhak's and caused it to fly off to the side. As the two scythes of Eco sank into the wall, Veston aimed another beam at the demon. Margaret ran forward and threw fireballs. As the attacks reached the Shirhak, there was a terrific explosion and a huge cloud of dust arose.

Veston coughed and looked around, trying to find a piece of the demon's body. He saw nothing, but heard a blade hissing as it cut through the air. He spun around and drew his katana, blocking the attack and sliding it off to the side. He twirled his sword, and pivoted his body to avoid cutting himself. He then thrust his katana forward, aiming for the heart of the demon. The monster deflected the attack and leaped into the air. Veston rolled to the side to avoid being blasted by a Yellow Eco beam.

"Watch it," Veston shouted across the room. Margaret looked slightly abashed, but glared at him.

"Well, you keep an eye out!" she shouted before ducking under a swipe by the Shirhak. Veston ran forward, coating his sword with Blue Eco. He ran forward and began attacking furiously, using the Blue Eco on his sword to let it travel faster. All his speed was for naught, however, as the Shirhak managed to block every single one of the attacks. Veston growled and ducked under a fierce swipe before thrusting his blade forward, only to have it go through nothing but air.

Margaret watched as Veston was picked up into the air and hurled across the room, sliding down the blood-painted wall. She gave a cry of fury and ran forward, using Red Eco to enhance her strength as well as her speed slightly. The monster blocked her attacks with the flat side of his sword, but Margaret did not relent. She continued hammering away at the sword, coating her hands with fire to try and melt it. Unfortunately, her opponent quickly caught on to her strategy and leapt away, sticking out its hand and sending a torrent of flames at her. Margaret dodged to the right and rolled as the hot flames engulfed the spot where she had just stood. The monster roared and an evil grin appeared on his face as his appearance began to waver. With a cry of pain, there was a blinding light, and when Veston and Margaret looked up, there were two demons. Each looked somewhat like the original, but neither was a perfect copy. One was small, skinny and looked weaker physically than Margaret. The other was huge, hulking, and carried an even bigger and longer broadsword than the one the original had been using.

"Holy shit! He's split himself in two," Veston said disbelievingly. Margaret backed up as the two entities seemed to try to decide which one they wanted to fight. The thinner one picked Margaret, and dashed at her with surprising speed. Margaret leapt back as it swiped at her with hands that ended in inch-long claws.

As the monster swiped at her, Margaret gathered Yellow Eco into her hands. She let it loose, not in a beam, but in small pellets. The monster was forced backwards under the barrage, but soon caught a break. As Margaret gathered her powers for a split second, it began teleporting out of the way, letting the balls of Yellow Eco get within an inch of its skin before vanishing. Margaret continued firing, even as she realized it was futile. The damned thing was too fast for her. It began walking on the walls and ceiling, darting about as she tried to aim where she thought it would reappear. As she prepared to launch multiple blasts in every direction, it appeared in front and above her, slamming its feet into her face. She cried out as her nose was broken, and leaned back. As the back of her head hit the floor, which mercifully was not so hard that she was knocked out, her feet went into the air, hitting after a second.

Margaret tried to get up, but the Shirhak stood on her before leaping off, pushing her face down a little more as it leapt. It landed on the ground on all fours and splayed out its legs. It crawled towards Margaret, who was only half-awake. As it reached her stomach, the monster took a deep sniff, as if sampling Margaret's scent. She looked down at the demon, who grinned as its red eyes widened. It plunged its fangs into her skin, and Margaret cried out as she tried to yank its mouth off of her skin. As she pulled on its face, it felt to Margaret as though the monster's fangs lengthened and began to rip her flesh out. As she grit her teeth, Margaret used both her arms and legs to get the monster off of her, at the price of a piece of her flesh. The monster spat out her skin and muscle before looking at her. It licked the flesh in its hands before slowly chewing it. If she hadn't been about to pass out from pain, Margaret would have vomited from the disgusting sight. As it was, she only tried to get her hands to her Green Eco Box, knowing that if she did, she could undo the damage this foul beast had caused her. As her hand twitched and moved, the monster saw it and lunged for her again, its hell-fire eyes glowing sadistically…

* * *

Veston saw the demon leap at Margaret as she tried to heal herself and send a blast of Yellow Eco at the Shirhak. The energy attack hit dead on, and the demon was hurled off to the side as Margaret healed herself and watched the flesh that had been ripped out return. She gave a grateful look to Veston- all that she could spare- and got up, her body surrounded by a Yellow aura. Veston turned around and saw his foe running at him, its arms brought back, ready to strike at the supposed unsuspecting Channeler. 

Veston leapt out of the way as the bigger demon came his way, swinging its sword and bellowing incoherently. In addition to the ten-foot sword, the demon also came packed with a ton- literally- of armor, making Veston doubt that he would be able to defeat this horrible creature.

Veston quickly incorporated some Red Eco into himself in a hope that it would let him match his foe in strength as it picked up its sword and bellowed something incoherent at him. Fortunately, as it did so, the demon spread its arms and exposed its chest. This gave Veston all the time in the world to wave his sword and send a few streams of Red Eco at his opponent to get the event started.

Not surprisingly, the Eco hit the armor and dissipated, showing no damage whatsoever and failed to make the Shirhak even stagger back an inch. In response, said Shirhak let out a mighty battle cry, and, despite the weight of his sword and armor, leapt at Veston. Veston rolled out of the way as the huge weapon came crashing down, actually sinking into the ground until it was pointing at the heart of the mountain. The demon leapt into the air, pulling out his sword and ran at Veston, who leapt over a horizontal strike by flipping over the Shirhak and coming down on the opposite side. As he landed, he realized that the Shirhak had continued spinning, using his centrifugal force to keep moving as it tried to cut Veston in half. As he landed, Veston pulled his feet up to avoid losing them and immediately locked his feet into a defensive stance. Then, with his strength enhanced by the Eco that he had absorbed, he blocked the strike, an unearthly clang filling the room as the two sword met. For some moments, the elf and the Shirhak grunted and heaved, each trying to gain the advantage over the other as their weapons grated harshly back and forth against one another, creating sparks that filled the air.

Finally, Veston broke the blade lock, and quickly ducked underneath his opponent's strike as it sliced through naught but air overhead. At the same time, he took advantage of the lethargy created by such a large, heavy and clumsy weapon to quickly get a few strikes in on enemy. The Shirhak's armor was well made, however, and it held up to the assault, with only a couple of grooves to show for Veston's mighty strength with a sword that was capable of shearing through rock when used properly. However, he was prepared for such an event, and quickly back flipped as the massive Legatee-forged blade came back in, sailing neatly over it, while using his powers to send streams of fire and Red Eco after hitting the armor. As before, it did little, if any, damage to the massive demon, aside from making it even angrier. For the first time in his life, Veston found himself wishing that there were Lurkers around- they were easier to kill.

Once more, the Shirhak leapt as it let out a mighty roar that shook the walls of the underground room. The demon cocked its weapon behind its head before bringing it down with enough force that it might have hacked through even Precursor armor. However, with a deft roll, Veston was out of harm's way, smirking as the room rattled once more.

He charged back into the fray as the demon readied its weapon, brining his katana in from the side to strike against the ribcage of his foe. The weapon bounced off with little success, and the Channeler was forced to duck a vicious swipe made by a hand with claws that would easily have decapitated him had it connected. As it was, it gave him the perfect opportunity to end the fight. Veston had noticed that Shirhak tended to disappear as soon as their skin was pierced. He jabbed him blade upwards into the armpit where armor never covered. Veston felt his blade go through skin and continued pushing until his sword pushed out of the monsters shoulder. He continued to push, sending his weapon through the right jawbone and out through the left temple. As the Shirhak wailed in pain, Veston withdrew his sword and swiped it, getting the blood off and wiping off the bits of muscle.

Veston sheathed his sword and walked away, planning to help Margaret with her demon, who he saw was being kept at bay now. Relieved that she had healed, Veston sped up his pace, but stopped when a badly aimed scythe of Dark Eco went whizzing by, slicing his cheek and leaving a scar there. Veston turned around to see his Shirhak standing, its wounds healed and its right hand glowing with purple electricity. Veston send a blast or Red Eco at it, hitting it right between the eyes.

The Shirhak took the blow stoically while a rampage with his massive weapon a moment or two later let Veston know that the lethal wounds he had inflicted not but ten seconds ago were nothing more at this point.

Deciding that the time had come to change tactics, Veston jumped backward and activated his Blue Eco Box while shutting off his Red Eco Box. Instantly, his movement speed increased, and he began deflecting the Shirhak's attack. By the time the monster had began a new attack, Veston had been able to inflict a score or so of his own. As the fight continued, Veston knew that however speedy he might be, he needed to draw some blood and kill his freak if he wanted to come out of this confrontation alive. He could not keep this dodging up forever, and already the Shirhak was adapting to this new style, dodging as it collected itself and attacked once more. Veston began using his speed a different way, running around the demon rather than attacking it. This had the slightly humorous effect of making the Shirhak spin around, trying to keep the Channeler within it sight. A blow came in, aimed at the back of the Shirhak's neck. As soon as the attack had cut through the armor, Veston yanked his sword back so he wouldn't be killed, and inflicted another wound along the back of the creature's leg, right where the back of his right kneecap was. A second later, the other leg was cut, followed by the inside of the demon's elbows. As the Shirhak raised its sword, Veston mimicked his move from before piercing the armpit and skull of the monster on both sides. As the demon fell, Veston picked it up using his Blue Eco power and hurled it into a wall. As he rushed in, he turned his Red Eco Box again and delivered a jumping spinning back kick to the demon's chest, his foot going through the armor and crushing the Shirhak's ribs.

Wounded and disoriented it might be, but the Shirhak was still dangerous, and gripped its colossal blade as tightly as it could. It leapt off the wall, its skin healing but its armor permanently damaged. As it got far enough away, the Shirhak once again began to spin around, hoping that with the nearly twenty-foot diameter of his spin, this annoying elf might find himself within that range, and be taken care of. What it got instead was a small barrage of Yellow Eco pellets as Veston leapt back.

Snarling in rage, the Shirhak stopped its attack and turned to face its opponent. It charged the ruler of Spargus, heedless of the potential consequences of such a foolish action. As it brought his massive weapon in from the right side, swinging it upwards in hopes of splitting his foe in half, Veston back-flipped away from the attack and assimilated some Yellow Eco. As the demon stopped its attack and ran forward, Veston turned his body to the side and extended his left hand. The demon's eyes widened as it realized what Veston was able to do. What made it all the sweeter to the Channeler was that when one coupled the size and weight of the sword preventing the Shirhak from dodging with the fact that its armor was severely damaged and had fallen off in some places, one quickly realized that the fight was about to end.

Pain exploded in the Shirhak's small mind as the beam hit, blowing it backwards and causing it to lose its grip upon his weapon. One looked revealed that it was dying. The blast had caught it dead on, and had actually turned its armor against it, as it had actually melted under the fury of the attack, and was now attached to his chest. As the Shirhak hit the ground, stuck in its melted armor, Veston drew his katana.

"Game over," he said as he decapitated his opponent. As the body faded away, Veston looked over to see how Margaret was doing. What he saw stole away the warmth of his blood…

* * *

Andrew, Tiffany and Liz walked down the streets of Wasteland Metropolis until they came to Potentia's hut. They took a deep breath as a group and charged in. Andrew had his body covered in Blue Eco, Tiffany had surrounded her hands in Yellow Eco o use as a beam, and Liz's body crackled with Red Eco electricity and fire. As they entered combat stances and looked around the hut, they realized something that they hadn't counted on. 

The hut was empty.

Feeling like fools, the Channelers turned off their Eco Belts and looked around the hut to be certain the Yellow Eco Sage wasn't in the house before pouring through his notes, trying to find a clue as to where he might be.

"Found something!" Tiffany shouted after half an hour of looking.

"What is it?"

"Where is he?" Andrew and Liz asked at the same time.

"Gale Canyon. Apparently, there's a pool of Dark Eco there and he went to go oversee the excavation. He left three days ago, but this tells me exactly where he went. If we hurry on my horses, then we could find him in an hour or two." The group left the hut and got on the horses again. As before, Tiffany made them fly up into the air and they whooped and hollered with glee as they rose above the clouds.

* * *

"Work faster!" Potentia snarled as he fingered his gun, itching to blast the Shirhak into oblivion. As the demons growled at him, Potentia allowed his aura to flare so that it covered the area, which quickly galled the Shirhak back into obedience. 

"Hey redneck," Andrew called from behind. The Sage's reflexes and aim were startling, as he flipped his gun around so it was pointing behind him and pulled the trigger. A beam of Yellow Eco shot out, and Andrew dodged to the left, amazed at the Sage's aim.

"So, y'all though you'd come on out an' challenge me face to face, eh?" Potentia asked in his heavy accent as he turned around and leveled his gun at them. The group did not respond, opting instead to send a barrage of attacks at him. As the beams and electricity flowed towards him, Potentia caught the attack sin his rifle before pointing it at Andrew, who had rushed in. The Storage Channeler leapt out of the way and began running on the canyon wall as Potentia sent blast after blast of Yellow Eco at him, trying to bring him down.

As Potentia gathered up his power to let a large last fly, he was hit in the back by a boot. He spun around and saw no one, but looked up to see Liz balancing on the barrel strapped to his back. He snarled and leaned forward, causing the Channeler to lose balance and fall off. Just as Potentia was about to hit the ground, he sent a small burst of energy out of his body, just enough to push him back up and let him get his footing again.

Andrew rushed forward to try to take out the Yellow Sage, but had to abandon his plan when a barrage of Yellow Eco pellets came his way. As he dodged to the right, he once again ran up the wall, shooting blasts of his own back at Potentia. Tiffany saw the Sage distracted and let loose a beam of concentrated Red Eco. As the attack neared him, an orb of Yellow Eco surrounded the Sage. The orb concentrated where the attack was coming from and shot a beam out, piercing Tiffany's and sending her back into the wall.

Liz picked herself up off the ground and activated her Yellow Eco Box. As she formed the Eco into a sword, she dashed forward as she shot a beam of Yellow Eco at the Sage. It hit the barrel, which began to glow. Liz smiled to herself, thinking she had perhaps damaged the apparatus, but frowned when she realized the barrel connected to the gun had merely absorbed the attack. She ran forward and swung at the barrel, only to find that her sword had been absorbed as well. She summoned another sword and aimed this time for the Sage's chest, aiming right where his gut would be. Hopefully she would not hit anything vital, as killing the Sage was the last thing Liz wanted to do.

Potentia had seen the attack coming and dodged, pulling his Yellow Eco Saber off his belt and spinning around to meet the attack. Eco Blade met Eco Saber as Potentia and Liz began a fierce- if amateur- sword fight. Neither was used to wielding a weapon that, though capable of shearing through skin, bone, and rock easily, weighed next to nothing. As they locked blades, Andrew rushed in, trying to finish the fight by knocking the Sage out. He was dismayed however, when a well placed Eco blast caused him to fly off his feet and go crashing back into a wall. The same happened to Tiffany when she fired a beam of Yellow Eco at the duo. Liz took the opportunity to run at Potentia and jumped up, kicking him in the chest with both her feet.

Potentia staggered back from the hit and aimed his rifle up into the sky. He fired off a large ball of energy that hovered in midair. Andrew ran forward, his body ablaze, but let out a gasp of pain as Potentia jabbed the butt of his gun into his stomach. The Sage quickly reversed the weapon and then put his hand on the stunned Channeler's stomach while firing rounds at Liz and Tiffany. The two girls dodged and Andrew was blasted backwards as a ball of energy appeared and then dispersed in Potentia's hand.

Tiffany and Liz got up and ran at the Sage, only to hastily put up an Eco Shield as the orb above them exploded and rained down pellets at them. Potentia lifted his empty hand and small glowing orbs about the size of marbles appeared. He leveled them at Liz and they flew towards her, expanding in size. Liz summoned another Yellow Eco Blade and deflected them, some of them traveling back to Potentia, who gathered up a score of them before sending a few at each of the Channelers.

Andrew jumped over his and then ran forward, trying to get closer to Potentia and take away his devastating long range weapons. Potentia jammed his gun into the ground and fired off a few rounds. Everyone stayed still, not knowing what to make of this, before being blasted off their feet as the shots came up from below.

"Y'all didn't honestly y'all could really beat me, did ya?" the Sage asked in his distorted voice as he broke the blade lock with Liz and mounted his gun on the barrel strapped to his back. He looked at Andrew and Tiffany, close to each other as they picked themselves up, and blasted the canyon wall above the two Channelers. A small avalanche came tumbling down on the two, and Potential smirked when he heard Liz cry out in horror. "Aw. What's the matter? Were they your friends er something'?" he smirked as Liz sank to her knees. He stepped back as the canyon floor began to vibrate. Liz looked up, fury and rage swirling in her eyes.

"You'll pay for that!" she screamed as she dashed forward.

* * *

Veston watched in horror as the demon stuck its hand through Margaret's chest, going so hard and fast that its hand erupted from the back. As Margaret's body hit the ground, Veston ran, almost teleporting as he grabbed her body. He erected a Green Eco shield and began pumping Green Eco into her, not caring that he was using up all that he had. He looked down and saw her glassy eyes unchanged, so he turned on her Green Eco Box as well. As the restorative powers roved over her bruised and battered body, Margaret started to become more aware of her pain. 

Veston nearly cried with relief as he heard and saw Margaret gasp with pain. He held her face to his chest, choking back sobs. After he finished healing the gaping wound in her chest, Veston let her go at a very painful punch.

"I need to breathe," Margaret said as she removed her coughing face from his chest. Veston smiled sheepishly as she smiled at him and the two forgot about the demon clawing at the shield in an attempt to bring it down, so relieved they were at the other's well-being.

A roar of frustration brought them back to reality, and Veston brought his shield down before blasting the demon back with a well-placed fireball. The Shirhak, however, was capable of taking damage as well as dishing it out, however, and quickly rushed back in. As it raised its arm to do such a thing to the elf that had taken its prey from it, its face was caved in as Margaret leapt forward with a snarl, punching it directly in the face.

The Shirhak staggered back and began to glow with a purple light. It threw out its hands and sent blasts of Dark Eco at the duo. Veston and Margaret dodged different ways, letting the acidic Eco hit the ground and eat part of it away.

Veston dashed forward, his blade hissing through the air as he hit the demon time after time. Unfortunately, said Shirhak had conjured up a Dark Eco Blade from nowhere, and was proving to be very skilled with a blade. And unfortunately for Veston, such a weightless weapon could block and attack with barely any time in between.

Margaret watched her savior battle the Shirhak, the two weapons impacting each other again and again, only to break contact and come in again. Margaret gathered up her remaining Yellow Eco and began firing small blasts at the duo. She had been watching carefully, and almost always managed to hit the Shirhak, never really hurting it, but causing it damage and distracting it all the same.

Veston took advantage of the opportunity when his opponent foolishly turned to snarl at Margaret and swiftly decapitated his opponent. As the body hit the floor and melted away, he sheathed his sword and walked over to Margaret.

"Nice teamwork, eh?" he asked with a smile. Margaret smiled, though her face was drawn and tired, and gave him a high five. They turned around and saw the Dark Eco Crystal, the reason they were there. Veston drew his blade and coated it with Yellow Eco. Margaret put her hands on his and added Red Eco to it, giving his blade the power he needed to destroy the vile thing.

As the pieces of the Dark Eco Crystal hit the ground and eroded away to dust, Veston and Margaret began to look for another way out. They were not going to go upstairs and go through the disgusting room once again. Veston saw a small indentation in the wall and pressed it. A hidden door opened up and he and Margaret walked through, using Red Eco conjured fire to light the way. As the went on, the noticed that it seemed to spiral downward. At the end was a large gate that had light streaming in. The two pushed on the door, and then, when that failed, simply blew it apart. They shielded their eyes against the bright light and saw that they were in Flurry Conurbation once more. They turned around as the door closed and saw that it looked just like part of the mountain.

"Alecis is never going to believe this," Margaret said as they walked back to the Sage's hut, and Veston agreed whole-heartedly. Now they needed to find a way to stay in the town without being detected by Gol until Jak could defeat Tarea and let them into Pampas Islet.

* * *

Potentia shot a beam of Yellow Eco at the charging Channeler. All it did was slightly slow Liz down, however, as she simply put her shoulder forward and took the brunt of the attack. She neared the Sage and tackled him before sitting on his chest and landing blow after blow on his face. Dazed and disoriented, the Sage took a minute to gather his powers again. When he did however, Liz found herself traveling up into the sky about a hundred feet or so. As her ascent slowed and her descent began, she prepared for the end, knowing she wouldn't survive the impact. At the last second, something soft and hairy appeared underneath her and saved her from becoming a splat on the ground. 

Liz looked down and saw Harry, his black coat shining in the sun. As it touched down and let her off, she stroked its neck in thanks before turning back to the problem at hand. She glared at the Sage, trying to discover the location of the mind-control device that should be mounted somewhere on his back. When she had balanced on his barrel before, she had been examining the gap between the barrel and his skin, but to her surprise and dismay, the machinery had been nowhere to be found.

Liz dodged to the right as a beam of energy came sailing her way and saw Andrew and Tiffany emerge from behind the stage. Thinking that this could be the break they had been looking for, she stood still, with her arms open in a "come and get me," stance. Potentia growled in annoyance and fired a massive beam that she could not hope to dodge. Liz focused her powers and unleashed an attack of her own. As the Red and Yellow Ecos clashed, Andrew and Tiffany gathered their powers from behind the Sage and fired them off.

Potentia realized the gravity of his error and winced as he was blasted off his feet and went sailing forward. To add to his pain, the beam that Liz had been firing to counter his hit him in the chest, causing him to fly into a wall and slide down, injured and angry.

"Y'all think you've won? No way now, this is jus' the beginnin'," he said as he took something out of a pouch on his belt.

Andrew and Tiffany watched with a mixture of trepidation and curiosity as Potentia drew a cylindrical object out of the pouch. It looked like a large glowing topaz in the shape of a small cylinder about three inches in length and to inches in circumference. What made it unique was the way it ended and began. It ended like a cone, so that the end was a sharp point, and the origin of the jewel was encased in Precursor metal. Tiffany and Andrew watched as Potentia fiddled with his gun. Both knew, somehow, that whatever he was doing was to his advantage, no theirs, but both were stuck to the ground, wanting to see what would happen despite their instincts screaming at them to move. Said instincts were joined by Liz a moment later.

"Its an Eco Crystal! Don't let him put it in his gun!" she screamed as she launched Blue Eco Lightning at the Sage. Andrew and Tiffany rushed forward, trying to get to Potentia before it was too late, but alas, it was not meant to be. Potentia found the niche he was looking for and slammed the Crystal in. Immediately, he began laughing hysterically as his gun became liquid Yellow Eco. The Eco covered his hands and then solidified to show two nasty looking contraptions. One was a smaller gun with six long tubes. The other was a wider cannon about the size of Potentia's barrel.

As Potentia leveled his left hand at Liz, a stream of Eco left the gun, spreading out to cover a range of roughly ten square feet. Liz jumped in the air and shielded her chest and face with her hands as she threw scythes of Red and Blue Ecos at him. Potentia simply raised his right arm and a large blast left the gun, overwhelming the attacks and pushing Liz back in the air where she fell to the ground. Tiffany dusked under another blast and Andrew summoned a Green Eco shield to protect from the barrage of Eco. His veins began to bulge in his head as he struggled to keep the shield up under such an intense attack.

Liz saw the trouble her friends were in and slammed her fist into the ground. Streams of Eco left her hand and traveled up to Potentia, who was oblivious to the incoming attack. As the Yellow Eco reached him, Liz concentrated and the small puddle of Eco became bolts of Eco electricity. They hit the barrel and Potentia immediately began shaking said apparatus strapped to his back. A sudden thought occurred to Liz, who suddenly realized where the mind control device was located.

"The mind control device! It _inside_ the barrel!" she called to the two remaining Channelers. Andrew and Tiffany looked at each other before running in different directions, trying to split Potentia's attention. Regrettably, now that he had two guns, the Yellow Eco Sage was well up to the task of firing at both of them with surprising, and deadly, accuracy.

Andrew circled the Sage, running and jumping to avoid being hit by the large blasts being sent out by Potentia's right hand. He began launching attacks of his own, levitating rocks and such with the help of Blue Eco and hurling them at the Sage. All his efforts did, however, was supply Potentia with debris to him with. As he continued running, Andrew began to tire from the long battle, and was finally hit with a blast. As he went flying back, he saw Tiffany launch a Red Eco beam at Potentia. Even as he smiled at the attack, he knew deep down that Potentia would see it coming and avoid it. He struggled to his feet and charged the Sage, not caring if he died so long as the Sage was freed from Gol's insidious control.

As it turned out, Andrew did not need to sacrifice his life, something for which he was profoundly grateful. Liz had come to the conclusion at the same time, and dashed forward, sending Blue Lightning across the canyon. As the Eco impacted, Potentia's limbs and muscles were frozen, and a large crater was the result of his barrel exploding under Tiffany's attack.

Walls crumbled, the floor cracked, and the Shirhak were blasted back to the abyss that thy had been spawned from as the barrel detonated. When it was over, Potentia was rising, his eyes their normal topaz.

"Well shucks. First a boy an' his muskrat, an' now a bunch o' kids," he said in his hillbilly accent. Everyone grinned despite their injuries, glad the Sage was back to normal. Liz pulled out a pair of the contacts she had made for the victory as Andrew and Tiffany explained the situation.

"Well then, y'all are gonna need to get ta The City O' Sky," he said an hour later. "Ol' Samos is thar, and he's gonna have a plan as to how we get outta this mess."

"Which way is it?" Andrew asked, as his geographic knowledge did not extend this far north.

"Out wes'," Potentia answered, pointing in the direction. "When I git back home, I'm gonna send two boys I know ta help y'all out. One's Ferrid and the other's Harrison. Both're Channelers, an' they'll be happy ter help ya out."

"Thanks," Tiffany said as she mounted her steed.

"Wait! Take this an' give it to the boy," Potnetia said as he handed the Yellow Eco Crystal over.

"Okay, but why?" Andrew asked as he took it.

"Samos said he'd need it, and when we were freed to give it to him. Zeorro an' Santar probably gave him theirs when y'all weren' lookin'. Oh, an' one more thin': I woundn' fight Samos till ya link up with the others. He stronger than us, an' I suppose you should leave him to that boy and his kid."

"We'll do that," Liz called as they took off, heading for the floating city…

* * *

Meanwhile, Jak and Keira were preparing to confront Tarea, the fifth Sage that they needed to free before heading to The City of the Sky…

* * *

Hey everyone. I hope you have had good lives while I was away. Sorry it's been so long since I updated: end of the year exams, sickness, and only being able to use the computer when my mother isn't put me in a bind. Not to mention the fact that I put this on hold until I had fulfilled my promise to GoodMorningBeautiful2005. Hope this chapter was all right, since I did it all in one day, and I'm sorry I updated so late at night: we had some weird weather here and the internet was too shaky for me to update. That being said, I hope to update again Sunday, and now that I'm off I might just be able to start updating twice a week, but don't hold your breath. Anyway, I wish you all a merry May, and its good to be back. And once again, I apologize for being so late in my updating. 

I owuld like to ask for some help. The next chapter is going to be just one fight: Jak and Keira vs. Tarea. I owuld greatly appreciate any Precursor technology that anyone could think of. It would be a tremendous help to me. Thanks you for helping me out.

* * *

Quote of the week- Me 

Me: Rule #15 of Life: Prejudice rarely shows reason, and bigots are certain of their opinions, which are based on little or no objective fact.


	47. Mechanical Melees

To those who reviewed:

GoodMorningBeautiful2005- Well, I just hope it's not Kliever. Thanks for the compliment- I was a bit nervous I had gotten rusty. And I'll guess the person eventually; there are only so many people. Oh, do you have any ideas for Precursor Technology that Tarea can use against Jak? I'd like a couple of ideas from other people, as I can't think of anything else. Thanks. Hey, update Dark Angel. I want to see how it turns out.

Silver-WindScar- Yes. BAM! Thanks for the compliment on the chapter, as I was afraid I might be rusty after a month of silence. Still, felt good to get back. As to your bad luck, ow, ow, and that sucks. As to your mystery student, I haven't the foggiest. It's a man who wields different magics, the most obvious of which are fire, ice, and healing, and carried a half golden sword. Unless it's someone from Golden Sun, I don't know. Don't hurt your throat screaming at me. And I have an idea for you, if you know the game. Golden Sun revolves around Alchemy, just like FullMetal Alchemist. Maybe you could write a crossover. Hopefully I'll update by Sunday, but probably not. Next week I'll update twice, you can count on it. By the way, I need a bit of a favor. The next chapter is going to be Jak vs Tarea: the Expert of Precursor Technology. I've thought up a few gadgets for her, but I'd like a few more, and I'd really appreciate it if you thought of even one and told it to me. If you can't, oh well, but thanks a bunch if you can.

Orange lightning rox- Thanks for the compliment. Oh, and by the way, nice name. For the record though, if you think I'm even halfway decent, then you have to check out the people who review: they are much better. Especially Red Mage 04's novels: Risen Demon and War of the Ancients. Read Risen Demon first though. And Silver-WindScar came up with great ideas for Jak and Inuyasha, while Keeroshu has written a story about a girl who is sucked into the Jak II game. I'll be honest, most of them suck, but hers is pretty good. Animedragongirl came up with some hilarious pranks in The Jak and Daxter Prank War, and GoodMorningBeautiful2005 has a bunch of good stuff. Since you're new, just click on my name on the upper left hand corner of the page and go to my profile. At the bottom, click on Favorite Authors and Favorite Stories and read them. Then you'll have a realistic idea of how mediocre I really am.

Keeroshu- Well, glad that I can still write good enough to shock some people. And I agree, if I was fighting something, and it split in two and came after me, I'd be like, "screw this!" and just run away. Yeah, Margaret hasn't had it easy. First nearly dying by Klaww, then being levitated over a pool of Dark Eco by Zeorro, then having flesh ripped out... She needs a vacation. But don't worry- I don't plan on killing any Channelers, both the ones that are here and the ones that have yet to arrive, off. I need them for the assault on Gol's Citadel and the big tournament afterwards. And hey, if it takes you a day or a month to review, it's all the same. At least you take the valuable time out of your life to both read and review. And I'm glad you did. Like I said, the next chapter is going to be just a big fight between Jak and Keira and Tarea, the Expert on Precursor Technology. I'm halfway done with it, but its going to be short unless I get some more gadgets for the Sage to use. Red Mage told me to add in a gun, and I thought of a good way to do that, as well as a melee weapon. Both are obvious, yet I couldn't think of them. Do you have any ideas? If you do, I'd be grateful if you told me, and I could really use them before tomorrow night. Sorry for the late notice. Thanks again for reviewing.

Disclaimer- I own nothing, save what my insane shattered mind has cooked up.

* * *

Mechanical Mêlées

Jak and Keira finally climbed the hill and looked down at Pampas Islet. There resided Tarea, the fifth Sage that Gol had imprisoned and forced to serve him. Once freed, she would no doubt be of great help in defeating Gol and sealing the Necromancy Portal. Jak and Keira looked around for Tarea, taking care not to be spotted so they wouldn't lose the vital element of surprise.

As they began to descend the hill, Jak felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, as though they were being followed. He turned around, but saw nothing. He exchanged a glance with Keira, who doubtlessly had also felt the change in the atmosphere. Slowly, the two made their way down more cautiously. Still, the feeling persisted. As they reached the outskirts of the town, the feeling rose until they both felt their sixth senses practically screaming at them to get away from danger. But for the life of them, neither elf could figure out what was wrong, and so all their senses did was make them highly nervous.

"You should listen to those senses of yours," a voice slightly distorted said as the Sage appeared behind them. Jak spun around and leapt forward, but stopped when the Sage simply vanished into thin air. He looked around before pulling his goggles down over his eyes and switching them to an infrared mode, thinking perhaps that the Sage had left behind a heat trail that he and Keira could follow. To his surprise, he saw the silhouette of the Sage standing in the same spot and gasped in surprise as he felt a thin cord suddenly wrap itself around his body, binding his arms and legs and causing him to fall over. Keira looked around before bringing her own goggles down over her eye and seeing the same thing. In an instant, he bow was drawn and she aimed the tip of the arrow at the Sage, who turned off her cloaking device. "Oh why not. I could use some fun," Tarea said as she drew an odd piece of Precursor technology from her back and leveling it at Keira's body. Keira looked at the odd device: it looked somewhat like the contraption Potentia had been carrying in Gol's Citadel, but without the barrel.

The device was about three feet long and six inches across. It had a wide firing end (about seven inches) and what looked like an aiming scope on the top. It looked very heavy and that theory was supported by the fact that Tarea was holding it with both hands. It had eight buttons in total: four on one side and four on the other. The four were in a square pattern, and were different colors: red, yellow, blue, and purple. The other four were in a straight line. The top one had three dots evenly spaced, the upper middle one had a lot of dots evenly spaced, the lower middle one had a bunch of dots placed haphazardly, and the bottom one had a large dot. Tarea raised her contraption to Keira's head and pulled the trigger. The barrel glowed blue before a streak of Blue Eco left the gun and streaked at Keira, who dodged to the right just in time.

Tarea leaned with Keira and fired again, leaving a small patch of burnt grass where the she-elf had been. Keira tripped and fell on the grass and saw the Sage push a button on her contraption. "Let's see how you like it when this gun fires Dark Eco!" she said as she pressed the purple button. Keira's eyes went wide as the gun glowed purple before shooting out a spurt of Dark Eco. As it got closer, a beam of Yellow Eco caught it and both blasts went off in different directions. Both women looked over at Jak, who was still struggling with his bonds, but was smirking. Keira suddenly remembered: she had installed a small unit of Yellow Eco in Jak's goggles in case he ever ran out of Eco and needed one last blast.

"Thanks Jak!" Keira called as she pulled out her bow and arrow. Jak nodded before going back to struggling, not watching the fight any longer now that he was unable it influence it at all. As he wriggled around, Keira fired a Yellow Eco tipped arrow at Tarea, who blocked it with her gun. Fortunately for Keira, the mechanic had made the arrows to explode on contact like the Red Eco arrows, so the Sage was thrown back from the blast. As Keira aimed another arrow, Tarea switched her weapon to firing Yellow Eco before she pushed the switch with many dots in a straight line. She pulled the trigger and held it down. The gun glowed again before letting loose a stream of Yellow Eco pellets. Keira dived out of the way as she fired another arrow. The arrow was destroyed before it got to the Sage, but it proved as a good distraction as Keira continued to leap and run out of the way.

Jak watched as Keira continued to dodge out of the way, hating himself for being of no help. He continued to struggle before an idea came to him. He leaned to his right before going over to his left. He continued building momentum until he started rolling towards Tarea. He bumped into the Sage and caught her off balance, causing her to fall over. The Sage snarled at the Channeler and pushed the button with a giant dot on it as she leveled it at Jak. Jak's eyes grew wide as he saw a massive burst of energy build up in the gun. Fortunately, Keira saw what was happening and fired another arrow, causing Tarea to hit the ground some feet to the right of Jak.

Tarea pushed the only button she hadn't used after firing a large blast at Keira and knelt down, keeping her gun in Keira's general direction. She squeezed the trigger after pushing the red button and a large number of Red Eco shots burst forth, covering an area too large for Keira to dodge. Keira tucked her chin to her chest and closed her eyes as she brought her forearms up to block the damage. Fortunately, the blasts weren't very strong, but there were enough of them to burn her skin and cause her to cry out. Keira's body fell over from the attack, and she looked up over the steam rising off her body at the Sage, who was preparing to finish her off with a large Dark Eco cannon blast.

A cry of pain split the air as the gun loaded, but surprisingly, it wasn't from Keira. Keira opened her eyes to see Daxter lying next to her, his skin burned off and his body smoking. He smiled weakly at her.

"Hey. Keir…" he said weakly as he gasped for breath. "You owe me a kiss," he said as his eyes closed. Tears welled up in Keira's eyes as she realized Daxter had sacrificed himself for her. She crawled over to the small rat and picked him up, noticing how frail he really was. Keira sobbed as she held her friend close to her heart as she felt his heart beat. Visions rushed through her head: Daxter being kicked in the head by an angry Yakow; her father smacking the former elf with his staff, numerous times; Jak and Daxter dancing together at a beach party; Daxter and Jak chicken fighting against Bryan and Mike. She remembered the good times and the bad as the small life form in her arms breathed deeply. His heart beat began to slow down slightly, and Keira laid him down as she tried to think of something to say. Time had stopped for her, and she had even forgotten about the demented Sage behind her. A small explosion awoke her to the battle behind her, and Keira turned around to see Jak, finally free, fighting furiously with Tarea, who was attempting to punch a hole in Jak's chest the size of a watermelon.

Jak danced to and fro, avoiding blasts and sending his own at the Sage, fur in his eyes. True, Daxter didn't have to sacrifice himself for Keira, but the fact remained that the Sage had killed him. Jak remembered all the times with Daxter, but put his emotions and grief aside for the moment: if he didn't, none of them would live to be able to grieve. He thought of something and took off his Eco Belt, throwing it to Keira. It landed by her and she realized what Jak wanted her to do.

As Keira put the Green Eco Box on Daxter and pushed the button, she watched and prayed that their plan would work. Slowly, the fur grew back as the black skin turned a pale pink. Daxter's brown eyes opened in shock as he regained consciousness.

"Daxter!" Keira squealed as she picked him up and crushed his body into her chest, squeezing the life out of him in joy that he was alive.

"Keira!" Daxter choked out through her shirt.

"Oh, you're alive. I'm so happy for you!"

"Can't breathe!" Daxter gasped and Keira let go of him.

"Sorry. I was just so excited to see you alive."

"You're not the only one. I thought I was dead," Daxter said, looking down at himself. He saw the Green Eco Box on the ground and put two and two together. "You guys… saved me?" he asked, his voice full of emotion.

"Of course. We can't let you just die. Who else would hit on me while flirting with other girls?" Keira said with a watery chuckle. Daxter grinned cheekily at his friend, whom he realized truly loved him. Not in the same way she loved Jak, but in a sisterly love. He wriggled out of her grip and looked at the battle, where Jak leapt over a large blast of Dark Eco only to be hit by a spray of Yellow Eco.

"Let's go kick some ass!" he shouted as Keira picked up her bow.

"Yeah," she responded with a smile before taking aim. As Jak dodged to the right, Keira fired her arrow at the Sage. Tarea saw it coming and blocked it with her gun before tying Keira up in a net identical to the one she had used on Jak.

"Well well, it looks like your girlfriend should learn not to stick her ugly face in other people's business," she leered at Jak, who ran in. Tarea fired a large blast of Red Eco, and Jak brought his forearm armor up, deflecting the Eco right back to where it had come from. As the Eco went zipping back, it entered the barrel of the gun and short circuited the machinery. Jak took advantage of the Sage's cursing and fumbling to get his Eco Belt before strapping it on and untying Keira and Daxter, the latter of whom scrambled back onto Jak's shoulder.

Jak went to Keira and pointed at the Sage's hut and then Keira. She shook her head but he grabbed her shoulders roughly and pulled her close. He hugged her before letting go and pointing at the hut again. He made a flicking motion with his finger and Keira understood: Jak wanted her to turn on the Warp Gate and let Richard and Meredith through. She nodded and took off running, Jak firing Yellow Eco blasts after her to ensure that Tarea would not hit her with a parting blast.

"So, just me and you then?" the Sage asked as she leveled her gun at Jak. She fired a large blast of Dark Eco at Jak, who quickly conjured up an Eco Blade and deflected it back into the gun again. As the gun sent sparks everywhere, Jak fired a spear of Yellow Eco into it and caused the gun to overload and explode. Tarea threw it down on the ground and drew two Eco Sabers, holding them in her hands, which were encased in gauntlets made out of Precursor metal. Jak backed off, and the two circled around each other, one armed with a Yellow Eco Blade, the other with twin Dark Eco Sabers.

Jak watched Tarea tense up and he leapt at the same time as the Sage. Jak blocked an incoming strike as Tarea spun around and attacked with her back turned. Jak tried to end the fight with a blow to the head but Tarea must have known it was coming, as another dark Saber intercepted Jak's strike. Tarea crossed her arms as she lashed out yet again at Jak and was surprised at the speed with which Jak blocked and countered. Jak ducked and back flipped as Tarea spun around and made a double strike at the same time. Jak dodged and then ran in with an overhead chop and the two of them mêléed for a while, Tarea swinging her Sabers and Jak swinging his Eco Blade so fast it would have been impossible to differentiate them had they not been different colors. Indeed, Jak found himself almost guessing at which Saber was which, they both moved so fast.

Jak knocked away both of Tarea's Sabers with one strike and a slash, but the Sage simply jumped over Jak with a flip and some twirls. Benedict landed in a combat stance and ran in, holding one of her Sabers knife-style. She charged and attempted to sheer Jak in half with the Saber farther away from Jak, but did not succeed. As she ran past Jak she swung the Saber that was closer backwards and glared at nothing in particular when she felt it stop. She continued spinning and swinging, giving himself a dradle-like appearance. Jak blocked the incoming strikes that were varied in height and once or twice had to jump or duck to avoid being cut in half. As the strikes became faster, Jak knew he wouldn't be able to block fast enough and he started to back-peddle. It was a move that would prove to be a mistake.

Tarea stopped her assault as she watched Jak back off and deactivated one of her Sabers. She held both in one of her hands and punched with the other one. A blast of Yellow Eco crackled through the air and hit and unsuspecting Jak right in the middle of his chest. Jak went flying back as the attack hit him and stared at Tarea in shock he avoided another beam. As Jak heard a crunching sound behind him, he turned around and saw a rock that had been behind him with a crater in it.

Tarea turned both her Sabers back on and rushed in with another double strike. Jak jumped over Tarea, who followed Jak with her eye and rushed in. Jak did a split in the air to keep his legs and brought his legs together, kicking Tarea in the chest before landing. As she stepped back, Jak rushed in and coated his hands in Yellow Eco. Tarea brought her arms away from her chest and prepared to strike, but Jak was too fast. He slammed both his hands into her chest before firing weak beams of Yellow Eco that nevertheless had the power to shove the Sage back a dozen feet, where she landed rather painfully on her backside. She got up slowly and took a small ball out of a pouch on a sling across her chest. She threw it at Jak, who hacked it in half with his Eco Blade. A large amount of powder issued from the ball, and Jak coughed as some of it entered his lungs and blinded him.

Jak wiped at his eyes furiously, trying to clear his vision before he was cut down by the most skilled opponent he had faced yet. Tarea came rushing in, eager to take advantage of her opponent's apparent weakness and received a swift kick to the chest as a reward for not thinking clearly. Jak might not have been bale to see, but Tarea's swift steps were easy for his elf ears to pick up. Jak once again blocked an incoming blow from below and spun her Saber so that it flew out of Benedict's hand and into the air. Jak took careful aim and sliced at the bottom of the hilt, right where the power supply was. Her Eco Saber dead, Tarea quickly stored the hilt on her belt for an unknown reason and slashed downward frantically, but was blocked and again disarmed. She stared in shock as Jak pointed his Saber at her heart. As Jak prepared to knock the Sage out, he saw her go for another gadget and lunge at him. He quickly spun on the spot and delivered a back kick to her chest and sending her through the air. And a rock.

Tarea struggled to sit up as Jak approached her. She stuck out one of her metal gauntlets and her Eco Saber flew at it, also conveniently going through Jak's throat had he not spun around and grabbed it. As he turned off the Saber and prepared to destroy it, Tarea stuck out her hand again and a blast of Red Eco issued from it. Jak was caught unprepared and he was blown backwards from the attack, losing his grip on Tarea's weapon. The Sage caught her weapon and rushed in again.

As they two elves circled each other, Tarea decided to let Jak come to her. Rather than looking at Jak's body, the Sage stared straight into Jak's eyes, resisting the urge to shudder. She knew from experience that right before launching an attack, elves and Lurkers both had an instinctive tendency to open their eyes just a bit wider.

And sure enough, that was exactly what happened when Jak eventually lost patience, and lunged at her. Tarea easily brought her dark Saber down to block the attack, and then ducked beneath a kick that the Channeler had aimed at her. Quickly, Tarea swung her weapon forged by the hands of the Precursors at her nemesis' exposed back, only to find Jak's Eco Blade coming back to intercept it, forcing hers towards the ground. Jak completed his rotation and caused Tarea to spin around. With a battle cry, the Sage continued spinning and attempted to backhand Jak with one of her gauntlets, a blow that Jak only just avoided.

As she attempted to close the distance, Tarea launched a large number of Eco blasts, and Jak leapt forward and to his right, performing a barrel role type spin while in mid-leap, his yellow-lighted weapon deflecting a few bolts that came close as his foe adjusted her aim. Jak performed the maneuver yet again, this time to the right, trying to throw Tarea off, before a third such leap placed him back in melee range.

Tarea swung with all of her enhanced might and Jak saw the amount of power behind the technique. Rather than attempting to block it, Jak opted to duck below the slash. He then continued through with his acrobatics, and brought his feet slamming up into Tarea's chest as he pushed off. Tarea felt stars explode in front of her vision as the kick, driven by Jak's considerable strength, connected. In a blind attempt to buy herself some time, she fired Red and Yellow Eco blasts wildly in the direction of her opponent.

Jak, still in the process of landing from his flip, had no time to react, and bared his teeth in defiance as a couple of the blasts connected and made him go flying back. In an attempt to remove himself from the somewhat hazardous position that he now found himself in, Jak leapt once more, using Blue Eco to stay in the air this time and go up and over Tarea before coming down in an attempt to destroy the gauntlets and the Eco Saber once and for all.

Unfortunately for him, his foe was able to spin out of the way in time, and she once again lashed out with her metal covered arms. On the bright side of things, Tarea's blow was made hastily, and as a result, was quite sloppy and easy to avoid. Jak quickly put his Eco Blade away, grabbed the wrist of his opponent, and pulled it so it was across Jak's chest. He then stood next to Tarea so their shoulders and hips were touching and continued spinning, planning on using weight and body preferences to make her go down. Tarea simply leaned back and used her other hand to keep her balance, and Jak leaned both of them forward, hooking her arm behind her and rotating her wrist so that her pinky was turning towards her chest. Tarea tired to turn away, but Jak grabbed the crook in her back and stopped her before snapping her arm and breaking her shoulder blade into roughly a dozen pieces. Tarea cried out in pain as she sunk to her knees and then fell forward.

Jak got up off his opponent, believing her finished, and turned around when he heard Tarea roar. She had risen and threw a wild punch, her left arm bent at an angle that it really should not have been. Even as it glowed green and straightened itself out, Jak brought his foot up and kicked her right in the face. For a second the fighting halted, and both combatants' eyes locked. Jak held his hand up, the red stain upon it revealing that first blood went to Jak.

Tarea once again brought her arms to bear upon the Channeler, firing small blasts not much larger than a golf ball as fast as she could. The noble Channeler performed a back flip, and landed a good five feet away from Tarea before bringing his Yellow Eco Blade up to an attack position and glaring at his opponent. The Sage did the same, and for several moments, there was another lull in the fight while the two of them slowly circled one another, each trying to find a weakness, something that could be exploited.

This time, it would be Tarea that would lose patience and strike first, leaping forward and bringing her dark weapon up from below in an attack that would have cut Jak from his left hip to his right shoulder had Jak not parried. Not discouraged in the slightest, Tarea pressed her attacks, slicing to and fro as she attempted to bring her opponent down.

However, her offense was stolen away when her enemy suddenly knocked the dark Eco Saber up high before following through with a thrust kick to her chest that cracked a rib and sent her staggering. Unfortunately, as Jak brought his own weapon down in an attempt to knock her out, Tarea was able to get her glowing weapon up in time to deflect the attack. The two blades grated against each other for a few seconds, sending sparks flying as the two adversaries snarled in each others faces as they grinded their weapons into each other even harder, as if hoping theirs would simply cut through the other's.

Abruptly, Tarea broke the blade lock and backed away, balling up her left fist. Jak let out a curse as the Sage sent a storm of Dark, Red, and Yellow Eco bolts at him as he furiously weaved his Eco Blade back and forth as he frantically backpedaled in an attempt to get some distance between himself and his foe. Jak leapt into the air in order to avoid a charged up blast from the elf's real arm and began running back in, using his forearm armor and his Eco Blade to deflect the attacks. Tarea stuck her hand out and the handle of her Eco Saber flew off her belt and into the metal appendage and turned on. Tarea once again smirked at Jak, showing that she had more advanced weapons on her side. What she failed to realize, however, was that any weapon was only as good as the fighter using it, and any fighter is only as good as his weakest technique.

Jak swung for Tarea's head but his attack was blocked. With lightning speed he reversed his blade and came in to the left at his adversary's stomach, planning on disemboweling him, but again was blocked. Tarea backed off an inch and stabbed, but Jak parried away her attack. Jak spun around with the parry and aimed his Blade right at Tarea's head. To his annoyance, he was blocked yet again. He came in up and to the right, yet again the Sage proved to be much too quick for Jak. She swiftly parried Jak's attack once more before coming twice: aiming for the left knee and then the right one. Jak was barely able to block, and he was pushed to his knees as Tarea used brute force to try to unbalance him with an overhead smash.

Tarea kneed Jak in the chest and then kicked him in the face. Jak went sprawling backwards and landed on his back. Tarea slammed her Saber down at Jak's throat but Jak grabbed Tarea's hand. Tarea's Saber got closer and closer to Jak's throat as they vied for control. Jak suddenly spotted a weakness in Tarea's battle stance: her legs were exposed. Tarea's leg collapsed as Jak swung his fist and hit a nerve, causing her leg to give out. Tarea went down, clutching her leg and received a kick in the head. The two of them lay down and waited for their individual pains to subside. Jak healed himself via his Green Eco Box while Tarea closed her eyes and a green light spread from her gauntlets and covered her body. The Channelers got to their feet and once again engaged each other.

Jak shoved Tarea back and sliced at her waist again. Tarea did a whole front-flip over Jak's head and landed opposite him. Jak swung around to prevent his head from being parted with his shoulders. The two of them leapt back and tried to get a bearing of where to attack next.

Tarea twirled her blade and came in for Jak's shoulder and then his arm. Both attacks were blocked, and the two of them locked blades as they circled each other. Jak glared at Tarea before he broke free and spun around. Tarea blocked Jak's next three attempts on her consciousness and the two of them locked blades once more. Jak charged up a ball of Yellow Eco and Tarea charged one up using Red Eco. The two of them fired at the same time and the large orbs of Eco slammed against each other. The two of them pushed harder, each trying to make their blast cut through the others'. The two balls of Eco exploded and they both went flying back.

Jak got to his feet and leapt back into the fray as Tarea made identical movements. Tarea spun her blade in her hand above her head a few times before swinging it at Jak. The Channeler spun his Blade to block it and spun his body around the manipulated elf. Tarea spun with Jak, never taking her eyes off her opponent. She blocked a blow that would have knocked her out had it connected and they locked blades once again. Jak sighed as Tarea attempted to out-muscle him. He spun away and began a furious series of attacks. Tarea waved her sword back and forth furiously as she blocked. Jak kicked Tarea's sword out of his hand and it too was broken. Tarea caught it and brought it back to her and Jak allowed her, seeing as how it was broken. He swung down and Tarea grabbed Jak's hands with her metal ones. She squeezed harder on the one holding Jak's Blade and Jak groaned as his wrist snapped. He opened his hand by reflex and the Eco dispersed. Jak quickly brought it back to him and re-formed the Blade, not wanting to waste any Eco.

Jak looked with satisfaction at both of the broken hilts. Tarea stuck them together and pulled them apart until they formed a staff six feet long. She pushed a button and the broken hilts began to glow before electric rings began to move up and down them. Jak and Tarea charged each other, whirling their weapons around in an attempt to disorientate and confuse the other. Jak leapt into the air as Tarea swung her Eco Staff, not only dodging the attack, but also placing himself in an ideal spot to end the fight with only one blow. As he stabbed for the mind control device on her back, Tarea flipped her Saber around and parried the block without looking. She spun around, putting so much force behind her weapon that Jak had to step back. As the female Sage swiped and chopped, Jak found himself desperately blocking and dodging. After a minute of this, Jak knew he had to get back on the offensive or he would never win. As he ducked a swipe, he punched Tarea in the chest as hard as he could. The force of his attack sent his opponent staggering back a few inches. As he came in, Tarea tried to strike Jak once again, coming in low. Jak jumped over the attack meant to shear his legs off and struck forward, swinging his Eco Blade vertically to cut off one of Tarea's ears. Though it would be painful, the she-elf would not lose hearing and would be stunned long enough for Jak to destroy the sinister machine on her back.

Unfortunately for Jak, Tarea blocked the blow with ease, but slowly began to push Tarea back, entering blade locks and using force to push her away. Jak continued walking towards Tarea, both ensuring his opponent would not get a chance to rest and hoping that with her back against the wall, his adversary would make a mistake and allow Jak to win the fight.

Tarea snarled as she pushed Jak back by winning a blade lock; Gol's hatred and anger for the boy fueling her mind. She brought one end of her staff straight down and then flipped her weapon around so that she would cut Jak in half from between the legs up. Jak jumped straight up as the weapon came in and landed on Tarea's staff. Jak balanced on the weapon for an instant, waving at the stunned and enraged Sage, before hopping down, using the force from his jump to cause Tarea to lose her balance. As the Expert of Precursor Technology staggered to regain her balance, Jak came in with a level slash aimed at the hips, putting enough force behind his Blade to only cause extreme amounts of pain, not cut anything off. Unfortunately for him, it was blocked, yet again. Tarea was proving to be much more accomplished at swordsmanship than Jak had originally surmised. Tarea came in with two quick blows on opposite sides of Jak's head. Jak blocked them with lightning quick efficiency and brought his blade crashing down.

Tarea, to her credit, saw the blow and decided that she could either end the fight here and now or draw it out and make Jak suffer. A quick command from Gol caused her to choose the latter (against her better judgment) and widened her grip on her sword. Her hands were now much wider, which was what she needed to use this move effectively. She brought it up quickly and Jak got hit in the wrists by the blow. In addition, his attack was now nullified. Tarea pushed up, throwing Jak off balance, spun around, and kicked the Channeler in the chest, glowing red as she did so. Jak went flying back and slammed into a nearby rock. Unfortunately, Tarea was much stronger than she looked, and he went right through it before hitting the ground and actually skidding up the hill for a few feet. As he healed himself with Green Eco, Jak got to his feet and tried to figure out just how Tarea could put such a force behind what should have only knocked him down. Jak got to his feet and ran at the Sage with such speed that she barely got her staff up in time to block. As he landed a few feet away from Tarea, Jak leapt in and struck at the same time, using the momentum from his landing carry him forward.

Jak slammed his Saber into Tarea's, not really aiming to hit her, but wanting to gain momentum from a series of hits that would throw his adversary off balance. His drive was broken when he had to duck an incoming blow. He saw Tarea getting ready to cut him from the back as he came up, put his Blade behind his back, and blocked the blow. He quickly brought it back in front of his chest to block a hit that would have done the same thing on the front side; sheer him in half. The two exchanged about fifteen blows in the next three seconds and backed off again, trying to scare each other by whirling their weapons around in intricate pattern. Tarea spun around two times before swinging one side of her sword in. She pulled it towards her so it wouldn't be a threat, but then quickly thrust it out again and stopped moving. She brought the same side in from an opposite direction and was dismayed when Jak didn't fall for her trick.

Tarea back flipped, landing on a boulder. Jak jumped up to meet him, bringing his sword straight down. Tarea blocked and elbowed Jak in the face as he landed. Jak was stunned momentarily from the blow and was punched in the jaw. He fell backwards off the boulder and landed on his back. As Tarea came down, he deflected the blow and kicked her in the stomach. Tarea backed off, gasping for air as Jak got to his feet. They both took deep breaths as they surveyed each other, thinking of a new strategy. Jak came in with his Blade horizontal, but quickly changed it to a downward slash. Tarea brought her weapon up vertically to block the incoming slash when Jak flipped angles and quickly had to change her own to avoid being beaten. They locked blades for an instant and Jak backed off, not wanting to get into a struggle of brute force again. Jak spun around three hundred and sixty degrees and tried to hit Tarea in the legs. Rather than blocking it, Tarea simply jumped into the air and did a split, effectively dodging the mortal blow.

As his opponent landed, Jak brought his sword down to the right but was blocked. He moved to his side so his arm was ticking straight out and waited for Tarea to take the bait. As his opponent made to slice the appealing limb off, Jak moved his arm out of harms way so fast it appeared to simply vanish. As he pulled his arm back, Jak rotated on the ball of his left foot and kicked Tarea in the chest with the heel of his right. The two of them circled each other again, trying to think of a strategy that would win the match. Jak backed off half a step and waited, wanting to be on the defensive for a bit and lure Tarea in. As the Channeler was attacked, he flipped his blade so he was holding it knife-style. He quickly blocked the torrent off attacks coming at him and tried to slice Tarea's feet again. He was blocked and as the staff came up, his Blade was knocked aside. Jak brought his knee up and slammed it into the middle of Tarea's staff. As it came up, Jak spun around and sliced it cleanly in half. Finally, the weapon was destroyed, melting away as the metal was cut apart. Tarea cursed and threw it to the ground before adopting a combat stance and curling her hands into fists inside her gauntlets. Jak did the same and the two waited once again for the other to make a move. Jak turned on his Red and Blue Eco Boxes so he would have the maximum fighting power as he waited for Tarea.

Said Sage came charging in a second later, her hands glowing bright yellow. Jak ducked under the first attack- a wild hook punch- and sent his fist driving forward into her ribs. As the bones were fractured, Jak hit her again and then took a half step to her outside. His rear leg came up and around and delivered a hard roundhouse kick that sent the Sage sprawling into the ground. As Jak pivoted and prepared to punch straight down, Tarea kicked out her legs and spread them between Jak's, causing his stance to widen and his balance to be lost. Her feet came driving upwards, and a nasty gasp of pain left Jak's throat as instinct kicked in and his head came down, along with his entire upper half. Fortunately, Tarea had fired a blast of Yellow Eco at his head, and his leaning forward had caused it to miss.

Tarea stood up as Jak hunched over, his hands grabbing his pelvis, and brought her foot up, around, and back down on Jak's back in an axe-kick. Jak went down as the blow rattled his spine and caused him to drop to his knees, where a side kick to the face made him fall over, still clutching himself.

"Too easy," Tarea said as she closed her eyes and concentrated, causing her gauntlets to glow a deep purple. She put her hands together tan prepared to fire a blast when pain exploded in her right leg. She looked down and saw the rat that she had fried before sinking his claws into her flesh. She instinctively tried to ignore the pain and simply shake him off, but she soon realized that Daxter's claws went far too deep for her to take out with shaking. She bent down and tried to grab him, but Daxter quickly let go and scrambled up her leg, being sure to dig his claws in whenever he touched her.

Now trying to ignore a burning sensation, Tarea grabbed at Daxter and managed to get a firm grip on his tail. She held him up upside down and taunted him as she shook him back and forth.

"Aw, bite me lady," Daxter shot back when Tarea wondered of she should cook him. Right after this retort, Daxter used his hind legs to dig into her hand that was holding him, causing her to let go. Daxter then used some fancy acrobatics, swinging back and forth on her hand like an acrobat and landing on her face. He scrambled over it, nearly gouging one of her eyes out, and landed in her hair. As he twirled his hands around to make sure he wouldn't fall out, Daxter began yanking on her hair, causing the injured Sage to cry out and being jerking her head around to try to dislodge him. All her efforts did, unfortunately, was give Daxter more momentum, which he used to hurt her.

By this point, Jak had healed himself and was ready to fight, but was standing off to the side, merely watching his fired fight the Sage. Not out of laziness, or unkindness did Jak not aid his friend, but out of curiosity. Jak was very interested to know just how far his friend could go before he was defeated: if he was at all. As Tarea grabbed his best friend's neck with her gauntlets, however, Jak knew that the time to intervene had come.

Jak ran forward and stamped his feet down, causing the Sage to look up. Jak jumped over a hook punch this time, and did a half twist in the air. He lashed out with his feet, hitting her in the back, and landed as she went forward, her hands coming up. Jak grabbed his friend out of her grip and gasped as she turned around and punched him in the chest with enough force to indent the skin a little. Jak staggered back and waited for her to rush in at him. When she did, Jak was well alerted, given Daxter screamed in his ear loud enough to disturb some birds resting in the village. Jak waited for Tarea to get real close and dropped down to the ground, pulling her shoulders with him. He maintained a firm grip on her gauntlets and kicked out, causing the Sage to go flying off him. Jak was in for an unexpected trip as he went with her, his hands attached to the gauntlets that were attached to her arms by a series of wires. The boy quickly summoned an Eco Blade and cut the wires, surprised when Eco came gushing out. As he did that, Tarea ripped his Eco Belt off, causing them both to lose their powers and become as normal as they could get.

Tarea reached for a pouch on her sling and pulled out a number of small pellets. She threw them at Jak, who dodged to the left to avoid being hit. In the end it did no good. As they flew through the air, the balls exploded, causing bright flashes of light to go off and making Jak and Daxter both blind. Tarea quickly drew out another gadget and threw it at Jak, tying him up once again. She then took a small cylindrical object off her belt and swung it, revealing it to be a small dagger as the blade extended. Jak was unaware of his nearing demise as Tarea slashed downwards, aiming for Jak's heart…

Only to fall to the ground, screaming in pain as an arrow pierced the exposed machine on her back.

"Nice shot," Meredith said lightly as she loosened her grip on the two sickles on her belt, as Richard did the same with his falchions.

"Thanks," Keira said as she went down to Jak and untied him. Tarea got up and looked around before Keira filled the Sage in on all that had happened.

"So that's why we're being discreet: we want to catch Gol by surprise," Keira finished.

"You won't. I don't know how, but he knows you're coming. He told me to follow you when you arrived, so he knows that you are freeing us. He is merely humoring you, letting you think you have a chance. What he doesn't know is how much stronger you have grown, and that is an enormous advantage. One good thing about Gol is that he is a fool: he released Samos from his control and now only waits to for you to link up with the Sage. Once you do, he will lead an army from the Citadel to destroy all of Weyard."

"So how do we stop him?" Keira asked, noting with some annoyance that Richard and Meredith both were leaning casually against the wall, looking supremely unconcerned.

"I know of two Channelers in this town, who may be able to help you. Their names are Retep and Julia, and they are both powerful. Retep is a very good mechanic, maybe rivaling you Keira, and Julia is the most unorthodox fighter I've ever seen. You'll see what I mean when you watch her Channel Eco."

"So where do we find them?" Richard asked, taking an interest in the conversation now that something had been decided.

"You don't. Go ahead to The City of The Sky. I'll send them along after Retep and Julia have packed. Oh, and Jak, here," Tarea added as she handed the gauntlets and the hidden power pack to him. He shook his head, but Tarea insisted. "Take it, and save the crystals still. You must use them only when you battle Gol, for they will be the most use to you then," she said. Keira looked at Jak sharply, who sighed and took out a pouch on his belt that Keira realized had never been there. With infinite care, Jak pulled out a Blue Eco Crystal, which was a small orb with one end set in Precursor metal, and a Red Eco Crystal, which had an odd look. It started in a Precursor metal circle about two inches in diameter before spreading out another inch. It then went back in, with grooves spiraling around the crystal. Jak examined the power pack on Tarea's equipment and found two slots that looked as though his crystals fit, and two others. "Samos will give you his, and Potentia will surely have given his to the group that defeated him." Jak nodded and put the power pack on his back before shaking the Sage's hand, unable to think of any other way to thank her.

"Now, we must get going," Meredith stated.

"I will keep your Zoomer here. And don't worry, the Sages will not abandon you in your quest. Look for us when the hour seems darkest, for then we shall appear." Jak and the other nodded before jumping through the Warp Gate and emerging in The City of The Sky. By an enormous coincidence, they saw Andrew, Liz and Tiffany land on horses. After the two swapped storied, they agreed to find Keira's father, who was imprisoned somewhere, and who held the last of the Eco Crystals…

* * *

Okay, sorry this took so long. I am truly sorry: I had planned on updating yesterday, but I wasn't happy with the fight scene and so I went back and added to it. Hope that was okay, along with Tarea's explanation of what to do next. Next chapter, Samos is rescued and all but one of the Channelers arrive. Then, things will get interesting. I'd like to thank Red Mage 04 and Keeroshu for giving me some ideas, as well as everyone's continued support and tolerance of me. Also, I hope the whole "Jak having the Eco Crystals," is okay. Not only do they supply him with nearly limitless power, but they will be key to defeating Gol. One more little thing: expect the oddballs to show up again, as well as some unexpected allies in the next couple of chapter. It's hard to believe I'm almost done, and I'd like to thank everyone who has helped me. And now, I unfortunately must ask for some help. If anyone had any ideas for a weapon, or an Eco technique that I haven't please tell me now before I write these chapters. Also, if you have thought of a new weapon system for the Precursor Robot, please tell m, there is a very good chance I will add it in. And now, I bid you all adieu, and I hope to be updating this Saturday. Oh, and if anyone else has a general rule of health, share it: I only have two.

* * *

Quote of the week- Me

Rule #16 of Life (Also called my First Rule of General Health): The good die young and pricks live forever.


	48. Reunited At Last

To those who reviewed:

* * *

Keeroshu- Yes, you did review rather quickly. In fact, you were the first. And how could I kill Daxter? He's too cute. Oh my god, I can't believe I just said that. Feh, it's true. Yes, Jak is going to be exhausted, but sadly, he won't get a lot of time to rest up. Samos will help him out with that though. And no, I will not kill Jak. I will, however, make him go through all kinds of hell in prison. Thanks for the shout out of good luck, though leaving it to me is no doubt a mistake. Anyway, I hope to see you update soon as well. I'll try to get the next one up on Saturday. Next week is going to be hell. Well, thanks, and good luck with your own writings.

Red Mage 04- Once again, thanks for even reading this anemic little story, let alone reviewing it. As for bringing Gol back, how can I? He was sealed in a vat of liquid for at least two hundred years (I'll make it five). How could he possibly survive? I've been to that sight, and I'm trying to make Gol break as many of those rules as possible. Makes it funnier. I did indeed get your P.M., but like an idiot, I sent it back to It was me basically saying that I like your ideas, save for the one that Shadow is totally evil. I always liked to think of him as being redeemed in the end. But then, to each his own, and I'm sure that whatever you do, it will come out fantastic. I really hope you decide to post it, and to hell with what everyone else thinks- if they can't recognize pure talent, then that's their problem.

CrazyOttsel- Nice to see you around again. Unfortunately, I'm having some computer problems. Again. So I'll be typing my stuff downstairs. I would never kill Daxter! Hope I can update soon.

Silver-WindScar- Glad you liked the quote of the week. I now have forty-one rules, if you let me use yours. Hope that you mean the workmanship was good and not so terrible you were rendered speechless. I still can't figure out who your guy is, but my mind has been hurting lately, with a lot of stress and other stuff on it. I just know I'm going to slap myself when you reveal the secret character, which I hope is soon. Hopefully, I'll update tonight, and then with a huge slice of luck, tomorrow, since I'll be out from Thursday to Sunday. Then I'll be here one week, be gone a week, and then back for the rest of the summer. Hope to see you update soon, and hopefully things work out the way I plan.

Disclaimer- I own nothing, save what my insane shattered mind has cooked up.

* * *

Reunited At Last

"So, where do you think Daddy is?" Keira asked as they exited the Warp Gate in the hotel in The City of The Sky. Jak shrugged, not really knowing the city to begin with. He hoped Gol hadn't hidden Samos in a hard to find, remote location, else it would take a while for the four of them to find the elderly Sage.

"Jak! Keira!" Liz shouted. The two elves turned around and saw Liz, Tiffany and Andrew waving at them. There was a joyous celebration after a swapping of stories. Andrew gave Jak the Yellow Eco Crystal, and Jak put it in the pouch along with the other three. Richard and Meredith were introduced, and the group waited for the next two Channelers to appear: the ones that Potentia had had promised to send along. While they waited, Richard and Meredith excused themselves and left the party for half an hour, returning with enough food for all of them.

"Wow, where'd you get all the grub gramps?" Daxter asked as he seized a Cucco leg. Richard whacked him on the head, earning himself a slap on the back of the head from Meredith and glared from Daxter, Jak, and Keira.

"Sheesh, sorry," Richard said sulkily as he grabbed a Cucco leg of his own.

"To answer your question, just because we lived on an island, you think we had no money?" Meredith asked. Keira opened her mouth to ask a question, but forgot it as someone came through the Warp Gate.

"I hate teleporting," the man grumbled as he got up off the floor. He looked up to see seven elves and an orange rat staring at him. "Ferrid," he said as he looked at them all. Jak noticed with some interest that he had two different colored eyes. One of them was a clear turquoise like Jak's, but the other was a bright blood red.

"Dude, what's with the eyes?" Daxter asked. Jak slapped his forehead at his friend's abruptness and rudeness, but fortunately, Ferrid was not offended.

"Stabbed in the eye when I was a kid. I tried to heal it myself, but it didn't work out and the discoloration is the result. I can see out of it perfectly though," he added, not wanting the others to think he was blind. He swept his orange hair out of his eyes and looked at them all. He closed his blue eyes and concentrated hard, trying to sense everyone else's auras. He didn't tell them that his red eye was capable of seeing power levels. He made note of everyone's levels: Andrew, Liz, and Tiffany were unusually powerful for their ages, but still weaker than Richard and Meredith, who had been training and honing their powers for fifty years. Still, Ferrid could see that if truly motivated, the three teenagers would easily beat the two older ones. Keira was not a Channeler, as far as he could tell, but he picked up an odd sense off the small animal. He finally turned his gaze on Jak and gasped. Though only almost fifteen, the boy had a power stronger than any Ferrid had felt before except for the Sages. He looked at Jak in wonder. Though the boy had nearly limitless potential, he seemed unaware of it, and as a result, his true power only manifested itself when he was under extreme pressure. Ferrid took a step back as Jak looked at him, frightened of what he saw Jak was capable of. He thanked the Precursors Jak had been born with a pure heart. Had he turned to evil, the world would fall under his rule. Ferrid noted that it was ironic: most people would abuse their power, but this boy, who had more power than anyone else save the Sages, was not only completely unaware of it, but also seemed to have no desire for greater power.

"Why are you staring at him?" Richard asked as Ferrid continued to gaze at Jak. That red eye freaked him out, and he could sense the elf in his mid-twenties was concealing something.

"Uh, no reason," Ferrid said lamely as he opened his eye and tried to look nonchalant. He rearranged the staff on his back and noticed his friend had not yet arrived. "Oh, Harrison should be along any minute now." he said as he joined the group. He stood next to Jak, the boy being only a head taller than him. Richard was about to ask Ferrid some more questions, but a look from his wife quickly made him decide not to. Suddenly, a massive person came through the Warp Gate.

Jak leaned back to get a better look at the man. He judged him to be a little more than eight and a half feet tall. He was wearing only a pair of pants and cuffs on his wrists. His left arm and the upper left part of his torso were covered in a series of blue, twisting tattoos. A massive axe that Jak was quite sure weighed more than he did was strapped to the giants back. The giant bent down to the startled group and said, in a clear, normal voice, "Name's Harrison." The group was slightly taken aback that such a large person could speak in a voice that was not low, growling, or gravelly. Harrison's gold eyes surveyed the group and noted that they had a force almost powerful enough to take on Gol. They would need a few more Channelers on their side, however, and wondered where they could find them.

"Ferrid, can you find more Channelers," he asked, ignoring Ferrid's frantic motions to be quiet. The smaller Channeler sighed and nodded.

"What does he mean, 'find more Channelers?'" Keira asked. "Do you mean you can sense Channelers with that eye?" Ferrid nodded, noting that they would probably throw him out of the group for having such an odd power, just like his family did.

"That is so cool!" Liz said, looking at the multi-colored eyed boy with fascination. Ferrid smiled shyly and quickly averted his eyes. The girl with the slits for pupils was making him nervous with her unrelenting staring.

"Fine, I'll see how many I can find," he said as he walked out of the building. Liz, Andrew and Tiffany followed to make sire that he would not get lost or attacked.

"I guess I'll stay here and get us a room," Harrison said cheerfully as he walked up to the counter. "Excuse me, is there any room in this hotel?" he asked pleasantly to the man behind the counter, who merely whimpered before fainting. Harrison bent down over the counter at the man in puzzlement. "I guess not," he said as he turned around.

"Me and Jak are going to go collect the others," Keira said as she walked to the Warp Gate. Jak shrugged and accompanied her.

"What others?" Meredith asked.

"Let's see, Veston and Margaret are waiting for us at Flurry Conurbation, and then, Lauren, Bryan, Cara, Willard and Gordy are waiting at the beginning of the Desert Colossus." Keira rattled off, trying to remember herself as well as convey the information. Jak jumped through the Warp Gate and Keira followed.

* * *

"That one," Ferrid said as he pointed to a boy with matted dark green hair.

"Gotcha," Andrew said as he began wading through the crowd, trying to get to the elf. "Hey! You!" he shouted, and the elf in question looked around. "Yeah you!" Andrew shouted again, pleased that getting the elf's attention had been relatively easy. "Come here!"

"Yeah?"

"What's your name?" Andrew asked quietly.

"Retep, what's it to you?" the elf asked as he narrowed his eyes and balled his hands up.

"Easy killer, we just wanted to know if you want to help us get rid of Gol," Tiffany said, not wanting a fight.

"Not interested," the man said shortly and turned around. Tiffany grabbed him, but let go as a small amount of Blue Eco crackled up the man's body and shocked her.

"Look, we know you're a Channeler, and we need your help to defeat Gol. We're trying to restore the planet to the way it was," Liz called desperately. Retep stopped in mid-step and turned around.

"You know how?" he asked cautiously. Liz nodded before telling the story of what had happened.

"Right," he said an hour later, "I've changed my mind. I'm in," he said. "I'll help you out, as far as my skills will let me," he said as he shook Ferrid's hand. "But don't bother looking for any other Channelers. Me and my sister are the only ones," he added. "Her name is Emma, and I'm sure she'd be glad to help you guys out. She's at my shop, looking after it while I was trying to find some spare parts," he explained as he led them through the streets of The City of The Sky. As they arrived at his shop (a small store with an odd machine in the window), they realized that not only was Retep a Channeler, he was a mechanic as well. Liz noted with satisfaction that Retep seemed to have designed Eco Belts as well, which would take the strain off of Keira. The poor girl was going to work herself into an early grave if she didn't stop working so late into the night.

"Emma!" Retep called as he entered the store. A girl that seemed to be his twin emerged from the shadows, her large orange eyes reviewing the group with curiosity.

"Who are they?" she asked as she looked upon the group.

"Friends. They say they are going to bring down Gol. I've offered to help them. You in?" he asked. Emma looked at each one of his companions, her eyes seeming to look past their appearances and pierce their souls. At last, she nodded and said that she would join.

"Excellent," Ferrid said. "Well, I think we should go back and get my friend, as well as yours," he said as he walked outside. Everyone else followed him, pleased that finding two more Channelers had proven to be so easy. Andrew glared at Ferrid, not sure what he thought of the elf. He came along as a little too friendly and eager to please.

"Yeah, lets," he muttered as he followed the group.

* * *

"Jak, where do you think they are?" Keira asked as they emerged from the Warp Gate in Flurry Conurbation. Jak shrugged, but kept his guard up. He only hoped that his exhaustion from the fight with Tarea didn't show- he had no energy left to fight with, not to mention he had no Eco left. The hut was empty, and the entire town was eerily quiet.

"Look out!" Daxter shouted as he looked behind Jak when they exited the hut. Jak turned around and immediately grabbed Keira, dodging to the right and landing in a snow bank. The Shirhak that had launched themselves at the duo landed in the snow and uncurled themselves. Jak took in their appearance and saw that they were different, and stronger looking than the ones he had faced before. These demons stood six feet tall and did not resemble elves or Lurkers. The creatures had four short legs about a foot long on a long dark green body. At the front of the body was a mouth big enough to fit Jak's head in it. A small thin torso about the thickness of Jak's head. Two thin arms stuck out of the torso and the long appendages ended in long claws. The head was mounted on the long neck and had two fire-red eyes.

Jak watched the creatures leap up into the air and curl their bodies until they were like meteors. With no Eco and no strength, Jak grabbed Keira's arm and the two ran away. Unfortunately, the Shirhak were now intent on devouring the two fleeing elves. As they ran, Jak prayed to the Precursors that something would help them. As little energy he had left, he knew that fighting the Shirhak would only result in his loss. As he thought about it, he realized that Keira would have a better chance of escaping. He stopped abruptly and turned around. Keira continued to run; unaware that Jak was sacrificing himself for her.

"Jak, what are we doing?" Daxter shouted as Jak ran at the Shirhak. Jak ignored his friend and leapt into the air to meet the Shirhak. As they curled up, Jak saw his chance and flipped his body around so he could kick. His foot went forward and smashed the long slender neck, snapping the Shirhak clean in half. The demon wailed as its body dissolved into sand and was blown away by the wind.

The other Shirhak landed safely and charged Jak. The Channeler darted to the left and threw a hard roundhouse kick, hoping to defeat this one as easily as the first. Unfortunately, the second Shirhak seemed much smarter. It jumped into the air and caught Jak's foot in its mouth. The small grinding teeth immediately went to work, grinding away at the skin and drawing blood. Jak hissed in pain and began pummeling the face of the Shirhak in an attempt to get it to loosen its grip. All it managed to do, however, was piss the Shirhak off and make it clamp down harder.

Jak sank to the ground as his strength left him and thought that at least Keira would have escaped this terrible fate. He gasped in pain as the Shirhak sucked more of his leg into it mouth, until his hips were about an inch from the mouth. The feeling of burning and grinding intensified as Jak continued to struggle. Then, suddenly, the pain left. Jak opened his eyes slowly, scared that he would see that his leg was gone. To his surprise, it was still there, and was fully healed.

"Must I continue to save your ass?" Veston asked with a grin as he helped Jak up. Jak smiled feebly: his lethargy and hunger draining him of the energy to do anything else. He saw Keira running up to him and realized with a small pang of fear that he had not conveyed to her his plan. As she reached Jak, Keira's hand went flying back and came forward, smacking him across the cheek.

"Don't you ever, _ever_, do something like that again, you hear me?" Keira asked, her posture and tone making her seem more like a mother than anything else. Jak grinned feebly at her and nodded his head. "Good, now let's get you something to eat," she said, suddenly friendly again. Jak stood still as she rushed to the hut Veston and Margaret were using as a base to fetch him food, utterly confused at the quick changes in Keira's emotions.

* * *

"So, the Shirhak launched an attack and have taken over the town?" Keira asked fifteen minutes later. Jak was only paying the minimum amount of attention, his gaze captured by a delicious looking Yakow rib. Food was scarce, but fortunately, the town had always kept enough in case of a major storm, and so had enough to last for a couple of weeks. Jak began eating the ribs that he was given with almost inhumane enthusiasm and enjoyment.

"Yeah. How do you suppose we get ourselves out of this mess?" Veston asked as he entered the room, having just gotten off guard duty.

"I say we gather all the forces we can and attack Gol's Citadel," Keira said. "Unfortunately, I'm sure this isn't an isolated incident, and so every village will not have a villager to spare. That means that its basically going to be up to us." Margaret sighed: the last thing she wanted to do was face more Shirhak, but she knew that she would have to if she wanted to live with herself.

"Then lets get moving," she said as she stood up. "We'll go pick up Cara, Bryan and Lauren, and then meet up with everyone else."

"That reminds me, I should go back to The City of The Sky. Tarea said she would send some girl named Julia to help us. I'll go and wait for her, if she hasn't gotten there already, while you guys go and get the others. Then we'll find my father and plan our attack," Keira said as she got up and walked to the door. Everyone nodded before venturing outside.

Jak watched the others go through the Warp Gate, finally feeling better. He sighed contently as he went through last and felt the heat wash over him like sinking into a hot bath. The only problem with the Desert Colossus heat was it was too dry- Jak was used to a moister climate.

"Hey! Anybody home?" Daxter shouted as they walked to the house. Jak clapped a hand over his friend's mouth. He didn't like silencing Daxter, he found his friend amusing most of the time, but in these uncertain times, he felt that silence and stealth were his two most powerful weapons. He double-checked his Eco Boxes, making sure that Alecis had filled them all to the brim.

"Hey guys!" Cara shouted from the top window of the house. Jak grinned and removed his hand from Daxter's mouth, wiping off the spit where Daxter had licked it.

"Hey baby, happy to see me? Now we can go out on that date, eh?" Daxter called up with a cocky smile. Cara rolled her eyes as she jumped out the window and landed in front of Jak.

"Hey guys, guess what. Lauren is a Channeler," Cara said as Bryan and Lauren emerged from the house as well, though they chose to go through the door.

"No way!" Margaret said. She had become close friends with the gothic dressed girl and couldn't believe that she could have been a Channeler without Margaret knowing.

"Yup," Lauren said with a smile as she closed her eyes.

"Wait until you see her power. It unbelievable," Bryan said. Jak looked at him and put a finger up to his mouth. Bryan looked at him and began to speak but Jak shook his head. Jak closed his eyes and concentrated on his surroundings. Jak shot a piece of the roof off the house and three Shirhak that looked like elves made of magma fell to the ground, their bodies disintegrating so fast that they were nothing more than a pile of dust by the time they hit the ground.

In an instant, Veston and Cara had drawn their swords. Margaret turned on her Yellow Eco Box and Lauren did the same, having borrowed a spare one from Bryan, who almost never used his. Bryan had melted his sword down some days ago and made a new weapon. It was a small circle with three small chains about a foot long. At the end was a tube of metal one foot long and an inch thick. He called them his tri-chucks and was very proud of them. He had melted his sword and "borrowed" some more metal from Gordy's stash. Jak, however, refrained from using Eco and merely entered a combat stance. He decided he might as well put his training to good use and try to defeat his foes without his Eco.

* * *

Keira stepped through the Warp Gate and saw a girl about Jak's age standing around. "Are you Julia?" Keira asked as she stepped forward. The girl smiled in relief and nodded.

"You must be Keira. You're just as pretty as Tarea said you would be." Keira smiled at the compliment and took the girl in. She was just about as tall as Jak, standing two or three inches above Keira. Shoulder length blond-silver hair was left free, though Keira could tell that the girl constantly combed it. There were practically grooves in the hair. Blue-grey eyes were set in a light-skinned face. Julia blinked as Keira stared at her, feeling self-conscious. Keira tore her eyes away form the black vest, white tee shirt and blue pants that Julia was wearing and apologized. The two sat down near the Warp Gate and swapped stories. With every passing moment, both of them realized they had a deep friendship brewing.

* * *

Veston stood still. As a Shirhak carrying a scythe slashed at him, he blocked it with his sheath and then drew his sword and looked at the reflection. He spun around and killed another Shirhak that would have struck him down and then dodged to the right before killing not only the Shirhak that had slashed at him, but two more beside it as well. He then summoned another Sword made out of Yellow Eco and adopted a stance, ready to fight. A heavily armored Shirhak came up to him, almost as armored as the one that he had killed on Snowy Mountain. He brought his real sword up from below as his Eco Blade came across and down. He crossed them and then uncrossed them across his body creating an X shaped slash on the Shirhak's chest armor. He then concentrated on the Blue Eco he had summoned and began a devastating combo, swinging his swords so fast that they seemed like a blur. As he continued, the armor began to wear away, both from sheer stubbornness of Veston's attacks and due to the fact that the real sword was being so fast that it was being heated up by the air. Veston ended his attack with a powerful down chop that left a large trail of fire behind it. As the armored Shirhak fell, Veston turned around and did another X slash, killing a large but unarmored Shirhak. He then leapt into the air as he saw two flying Shirhak enter the fight. He slashed both of them before spinning his body rapidly in a somersault fashion and landing, creating a small crater with the power of his attack.

Cara leapt to the side as a dozen samurai Shirhak came at her. She stuck her sword behind her and parried a strike coming at her from behind. She followed the block with a back kick and sent her foot through the Shirhak, who vanished. She then brought her sword in front of her body, swinging it down and slashing a Shirhak that had been stupid enough to charge her. She then brought her sword up and across her body before putting it behind her back and transferring it to her other hand. She spun it above her head, killing a Shirhak that had leapt at her before bringing it up and across, killing another two Shirhak. Cara rotated her body so that her stroke going up became another going down, killing another Shirhak. She then repeated the move, bringing it back up and not only cutting a Shirhak in half, but also launched its disappearing corpse into the air. She reversed the style and held her sword like a knife and plowed it into the ground before spinning it and bringing her body along for the ride. She kicked at a Shirhak and sent it back before pulling her sword out and rushing forward, stabbing the eleventh. The one she had kicked came at her and Cara turned around and simply threw her blade, piercing the chest where the heart had been and finishing her opponents.

Margaret turned around and hooked a Shirhak across the mouth, taking its head off. She then dodged an attack before punching past the scythe and taking out a second Shirhak. Two more scythes came at her from her left and right, and Margaret caught the wooden staff before they sliced through her. She crescent kicked a Shirhak with a sword that thought it would kill her off before spinning her body around and using the two Shirhak as missiles. She leaned back as another Shirhak slashed at her and then blasted it away. She continued this style of fighting for a few minutes, dodging and killing the Shirhak with energy blasts until there was only one left. She gathered her energy and ran forward, the Yellow Eco surrounding her body to make a small tornado. When she reached the final enemy, Margaret stored the tornado of power back in her body before unleashing it in a massive blast. As the dust cleared, Margaret saw she had no further enemies.

Bryan held one bar of his tri-chucks and brought it straight up, hitting a heavily armored Shirhak under the chin. As it went staggering back, he brought the two poles down on its head before bringing them across his body and lashing out a third time, striking it across the chest and splitting it in half. He spun with his tri-chucks and brought them around his neck, catching them with his other hand and hitting another Shirhak. He stepped forward and continued hitting the armor before her Channeled Red Eco into his weapon. He put his hand through the hole in the center of his weapon and curled it into a fist so it wouldn't fly off. He then spun his arm, causing the chains and bars to spin rapidly like a windmill. The Red Eco enhanced the weapon and transformed it into a disk of fire. As the second enemy fell, more enemies rushed in. Bryan quickly changed his Eco Boxes, turning on his Blue one instead. He stood still, his arms crossed against his chest and the tri-chucks came to life, spinning around him and killing the smaller, stupid Shirhak. Bryan then leapt into the air and spun his body, killing two additional Shirhak that had followed him into the air. He landed and summoned his Red Eco again, creating a small ball of fire that surrounded him and destroyed his remaining enemies before he looked across the field to see how everyone else was doing.

Lauren prepared to use distance attacks, as she was very good with aiming and was not confident when it came to using attacks up close. She saw the seven Shirhak coming at her and concentrated hard. Though she had been training, summoning and manipulating Eco was harder in a real fight. She gathered her energy and launched her attacks, sending multiple blasts of Yellow Eco out of her hands. The Eco shot forward and became spears. Lauren's aim was unerring, and all of the blasts went through a Shirhak's skull. A bigger one roared as it saw its brothers be cut down and charged her. Lauren concentrated again and summoned about a cozen Yellow Eco Grenades. She launched them all at the large Shirhak, but they only slowed it down. As the Shirhak got close, Lauren ducked under a massive swipe and launched a massive blast of Yellow Eco in the form of a sphere. As the large demon died, Lauren sent the blast into the air and concentrated hard. The twenty or so Shirhak that charged her were all cut down as what could only be described as raindrops of Eco fell from the sky at a high velocity. Lauren let out a sigh of relief as she realized that there were no more enemies and sat down to rest.

Jak brought his left hand back before hitting a Shirhak in the face with a hook punch so strong, he dented the face. He then aimed another hook (with his right hand this time) at the chest, hitting the exposed skin between the ribs and the back. He finished it with a powerful front kick that sent the battered enemy flying into the air. It landed in as puff of dust some ten feet away. Jak turned around and began throwing sidekicks at another Shirhak, curling his foot back so he hit with the heel. His kicks dented the armor, and as the Shirhak stepped back, clutching its chest, Jak put his kicking foot down and stepped forward. He brought his other leg up and then down in a powerful axe kick. As the head was crushed, Jak saw another enemy coming at him. He blocked two clumsy sword strikes with his armor and began throwing punches to the chest, throwing strikes alarmingly fast. As he walked forward, the armor plate came off, dented by Jak's power. The Shirhak backed up, but before it could attack, Jak hit it in the neck with a hook punch, decapitating his opponent. Jak rubbed his hands as he saw more enemies coming at him. The whole attacking without Eco was painful, but oddly satisfying. He ran forward and hit a Shirhak with an uppercut while following it into the air. Jak then brought both of his fists behind his head and slammed them down onto the back of the Shirhak's head, killing it. The body went down at the ground so fast that the remaining Shirhak were killed by the body as though it had been a missile.

"By the Precursors. Does Gol really want us dead that badly?" Gordy asked as he quivered.

"Yes. And countless more will die unless you help us," Veston said as he walked up to the man. Gordy seemed to quiver like jelly before steeling himself and nodding his head. The group quickly hopped through the Warp Gate back to The City of The Sky.

So frantic were they to get back, they did not notice a figure join them a minute later…

* * *

"Andrew, what's wrong?" Tiffany asked as they entered the hotel.

"Nothing," the Channeler mumbled as he pushed the door open.

"Bull, you've been quiet and moody. That's not like you at all," Tiffany said, covering the door with her hand and closing it. She stared at her friend and realized that he was avoiding her gaze, as though he was afraid to tell her something. "What is it? You can tell me anything you know," she said quietly as she leaned in. Andrew looked at her before he looked away.

"Its Ferrid," he said through clenched teeth a second later.

"Ferrid? What about him?" Tiffany asked, confused.

"I just don't trust him!" Andrew shouted, then lowered his voice. "He keeps secrets, has that weird eye, and I just think he's _too_ eager to please us and make friends. I know I shouldn't be so suspicious, but I can't shake the feeling that we're making a mistake trusting this guy." Tiffany looked shocked at the anger on her friend's normally calm and joking face.

"Well why didn't you say so. Truth be told, I don't like him much either, but we don't have much of a choice. We need his power, and Potentia trusts him."

"I know. But I'm going to keep an eye on him. I just don't trust him." Andrew said before they entered the hotel.

"Hey everyone. Welcome back," Daxter said as he grinned. The group quickly held a conference in a corner and agreed that after finding Samos, they would get as close to the Citadel as possible before launching an attack.

"That's a wonderful plan, but who said you needed to find me?" a gruff but soft voice said from behind them. Jak and Keira turned around and grinned at the sight of Samos.

"Daddy!" Keira squealed as she launched herself at the Sage.

"Keira," Samos gasped as his daughter cracked some of his ribs with her hug. "I'm so glad to see you're safe," he said softly as he patted her on the back.

"Me too Daddy," Keira whispered. Jak stepped forward and shook Samos' hand, feeling it would be weird to hug his girlfriend's father.

"Good to see you too, Jak," Samos said with a smile. "Now, we must think of a plan. Gol has an army of Shirhak at his disposal, and it numbers in the hundreds of thousands. You will have to fight them to keep them from destroying the city. All of the cities are under attack, so the Sages will not be able to help you this time. You will have to attack Gol's Citadel and defeat the Sage. I suggest that the fifteen of you launch the assault, allowing Jak to sneak inside and destroy the Precursor Robot. Then you need to open the Silos and return the world to the way it used to be."

* * *

Tank worked frantically at the controls in an attempt to keep the hovering apparatuses up. The city was running out of Eco and it was taking a lot of intervention on his part to keep the city hovering. A knock on the door made him growl in frustration.

"Stay away!" he shouted. Lately people had been bothering him with nonsensical banter. A louder knock made Tank repeat his original instruction louder with an additional expletive added in. A roar and the sound of the door being broken made the elf turn around. A Shirhak stood in the door, its sword drawn and a horrible smile on its visage. Tank screamed as the steel bit through his skin and bone before it exited his body. As his limp body fell to the floor, the Shirhak eyed it hungrily. It remembered its task and walked over to the control panel. It studied it for a few minutes before roaring in frustration and slashing the computers to bits. The machines that had allowed the city to remain in the sky shut down immediately, but due to a safety protocol, they retained enough power to allow the city to go down in a slow steady pace. The Shirhak turned around and began feasting on the flesh of Tank, reveling in the fresh blood and flesh.

* * *

"What is going on here?" Daxter shouted, his voice filled with fear as the city began to fall.

"I don't know!" Emma shouted as the city began to descend.

"Someone must have severed the negative power couplings," Retep shouted as he grabbed a tree to stabilize himself.

"Or just destroyed the computer system," Keira shouted over the rumbling.

People screamed and panicked. Everyone grabbed something save Harrison, who was merely avoided by the mob. As the city fell, Samos shouted for them to get to the teleporter. "I won't be able to join you: I must remain here and defend the city!" He shouted as he threw an object at Jak. Jak caught the item and realized that the piece of metal on the bottom of Samos' staff had been an Eco Crystal all along, dipped in regular metal to disguise it. He nodded to Samos and joined the others.

* * *

"This sucks," Daxter grumbled as they hiked to Gol's Citadel.

"Be quiet," Keira grumbled as they trekked along. The teleporter had lost so much power, they were still an hour's march away. As they neared the foreboding tower, Jak felt Gol try to enter his mind once more. He ignored the attempt and merely focused on Keira. Gol recoiled and left his mind, the love within Jak's thoughts repelling him like salt did a slug.

"Well, here we go," Cara said quietly as the doors of the Citadel opened and an army of Shirhak came out. Jak inserted the Eco Crystals into his backpack, along with the seventeen Power Cells Tarea had given him, claiming he would need them for something. Jak had no clue what he needed one hundred Power Cells for, but had taken them anyway.

"Good luck Jak," Keira whispered as she kissed him one last time. Jak smiled and looked at his group of fifteen Channelers. They ran forward and Jak checked that Gordy and Willard, who were covered with explosives, were well protected before detaching from the group. He counted his blessings when none of the Shirhak noticed and flew swiftly to the entrance of the Citadel. He darted inside and went down a side passage that led him far away from the army gushing out of the Citadel.

"Be safe, Keira," Jak thought to himself as Daxter rearranged himself on Jak's shoulder and the duo made their way closer to Gol.

* * *

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HATU HAS ESCAPED!" Gol roared at one of the elves that had decided to serve him. The man tried to answer, but his explanation was cut short but a Dark Bomb blowing him to smithereens. "WELL?" Gol bellowed at another man.

"Well, it appears that he crawled through a ventilation duct after claiming to be sick. The guards left to get a medic and the other guards didn't arrive fast eno-" the man spluttered before Gol killed him as well.

"Excuse me, Lord Akaron, but he is only a single Lurker. What can he possibly do?" another servant asked. Gol hovered over to the man and bent down.

"This," he whispered before grabbing the man's neck with his metal arm and crushing it.

"Brother, relax," Maia crooned. Gol took several deep breaths and tried to stifle the rage inside him.

"Um, excuse me, but the Channelers have launched an attack on the Citadel," another man gasped as he ran in, only to have his life snuffed out by a Dark Eco Bomb courtesy of Maia.

"What do we do brother?" Maia asked.

"We will wait here, for Jak," Gol responded as he sat down at his throne. He sent out a mental order to all of the Shirhak remaining in his tower to leave a path to his throne room unguarded. "Come to us Jak," Gol hissed, eager to destroy the elf that had been such a thorn in his side.

* * *

"Don't know why Escuro gets the mission," one of the mutants grumbled as they moved under the earth.

"She wants it, and it suits her the best," the leader said sharply. "Now, we must help the elf destroy the Dark One. The world will end eventually, but it will survive longer." The group nodded and sped up on the way to Gol's Citadel, ready to destroy the Dark Sage.

* * *

"Almost there," Escuro thought to herself as she carved through legions of Shirhak that had come to defend the Precursor artifact. "Why they had to hide it in the Shirhak's world is beyond me, but I _must_ get to it," she thought desperately as she battled through the waves of enemies.

* * *

Hey, sorry this took me so long. And I also apologize for the shortness. I had to help set up the party on Sunday, then help clean up yesterday. With an enormous slice of luck, I might be able to update again tomorrow, but this is highly unlikely. My updates will be sporadic from now until the end of June, so I apologize. That being said, this story is almost finished. I will have five more chapters. Any ideas for the Precursor Robot will be sorely appreciated, as I would like a few more ideas. I hope you like the final plot twist that I put in, and I hope that you all had an enjoyable Memorial Day. Hope to update tomorrow, so wish me luck, and keep your fingers crossed. Oh, one small thing. This is my last Rule of General Health. If anyone has any others, I'd really appreciate them.

* * *

Quote of the week- Me

Rule #17 of Life (Also called my Second Rule of General Health): Whatever's good for you is not good for the person sitting next to you, and vice versa.


	49. The Battle of Four Armies

To those who reviewed:

* * *

Keeroshu- Jak? Dull? When did you get the idea that those two words can be in the same chapter? If everything goes as planned, the whole gang will get some well deserved time off before another giant battle, which will take me a couple of weeks to complete. Actually, the chapter was supposed to be dull, but it was only about six pages when I was done, so I added in a few fights to lengthen it. I just hope it didn't look tacked on and cheesy. Thanks for letting me know in advance that you'll be away. Enjoy vacation, and I really hope that the weather and everything else are to your liking. I hope that the slump you're in is broken, but then again, those things are like colds- they last a couple of weeks no matter what you do.

Disclaimer- I own nothing, save what my insane shattered mind has cooked up.

* * *

The Battle of Four Armies

The Channelers waited for the Shirhak to get closer. A fell wind began to blow, bringing the scent of death and decay over them. All of them wondered how much blood would be shed in this battle- this one, and the other battles being waged in each village. As the Shirhak got closer, Keira put her hand in the middle of the circle the elves had created.

"For Sandover!" she shouted. Bryan and Lauren wordlessly put their hands on top of hers, adding their strength and support to Keira.

"For The City of The Sky!" Retep and Emma added, the adrenaline rushing to them.

"For Brigands' Bastion!" Veston and Cara added as they put their hands in as well.

"For Pampas Islet!" Margaret and Julia called.

"For Volcanic Crater!" Andrew and Tiffany shouted as they joined in.

"For Wasteland Metropolis!" Ferrid and Harrison shouted as they put their hands in as well. Harrison's covered everyone else's.

"For Flurry Conurbation!" Meredith and Richard called as they added their hands to the group.

"For Rock Village!" Liz adjoined as she added her palm.

"FOR WEYARD!" they all bellowed as they put their hands in the air and drew their weapons. As the Shirhak got closer, the group split up so as to better destroy the army that was really going for The City of The Sky. Gordy cowered against a large boulder while Willard examined a grasshopper and tried to chase it. Harrison, the selected bodyguard, picked both of them up with one hand and placed them on top of the rock before creating a small shield of Yellow Eco around them.

Cara drew her curved sword and executed a deadly upward slashed delivered from a crouching position. She stood up and then threw a well-aimed and deadly roundhouse kick. She saw a spear of Yellow Eco go by and grabbed it before it hit a Shirhak. She coated her blade with it and hit a Shirhak with a downward slash with a graceful turn that allowed her to hit another Shirhak behind her with a an upward cut. She bent her legs to avoid a swipe and swept the Shirhak off its feet. She then leapt into the air and hit it in the face with another roundhouse kick. As it staggered back, Cara hit it with a jumping front kick followed by a jump kick.

As she landed, Cara saw another Shirhak swing at her. She blocked the move and turned with the blow so she was behind the Shirhak. She stabbed behind her and killed it before moving on. She stabbed a demon in the chest and pulled out her blade before crescent kicking another Shirhak in the jaw. As the second one went down, Cara stabbed forward and hit the Shirhak in the same spot as before. She unleashed a series of fluid sword attacks on a large Shirhak followed by a snap kick before hitting it with a left-right sword attack. As it fell, Cara swung her blade, let the Eco on it leave, and carved through another score of demons while her Eco did the same. She brought the Eco back and recoated her saber with it. She then dashed forward, her sword appearing as a blur as she swung it to and fro…

* * *

Meredith took the large sickle she had strapped to her back and entered a combat stance. She kept her eyes focused, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. As a large Shirhak took a vertical chop at her, she rotated her body out of the way and slashed it across the ribs. She then leapt into the air and brought her sickle down on top of the demon's head, cutting it right in half. As she landed, Meredith spread her legs and swept another Shirhak off its feet. As she smashed its face in, Meredith reversed the sickle in her hand and slashed upwards, bisecting another Shirhak that had flown at her. She then flipped the sickle so that she was holding it like a knife and stabbed a Shirhak that was running past her twice- once in the gut and then again in the head. As it fell, Meredith ran forward and rammed her shoulder into an eight-foot tall Shirhak wielding a double-sided axe. She finished it off with a sweeping slash and turned around to see what else she could carve through.

As a Shirhak resembling a wolf approached her, Meredith stabbed it in the head with a brutal thrust followed by a lethal upward stroke. A large thin Shirhak approached her and Meredith thrust her curved blade into its gut, twisted it around and then leapt up. As the blade exited the demon, Meredith reversed the sickle and brought it down with bone-crushing force. A demon backed away from her as she turned her eyes on him, but Meredith delivered an unavoidable blow with a twist of her body. As an ironclad Shirhak ran past her, Meredith hit it in the face with an elbow followed by a tremendous upward stroke. She paused to look at the number of Shirhak she had killed and recognized the fact that there were still many more out there that needed to be killed if Gol was going to lose the war and not just the battle. She let out a battle cry as she charged a twenty-foot Shirhak that was lumbering along, trying to get to the fallen city, where the easy victims were. She attacked it ferociously and went on right after it fell, not even pausing to catch her breath…

* * *

Harrison let out a roar as the Shirhak approached him. The smaller ones quickly realized that such a foe would not be felled by their blades and turned away. The other, larger ones, however, were fairly confident that they could defeat such a large elf. Sadly, they did not know that the giant was also a Channeler. Harrison leapt six feet in the air as a Shirhak that looked remarkably like himself ran at him and brought his axe down on the poor creature's skull. The blade went right through the Shirhak's entire body before sinking into the ground a good foot or so. As a Shirhak that resembled an ogre raised its sword, Harrison grabbed the creature by the neck and slammed his head into its face. As it staggered back, Harrison swung his axe with enough force to generate a small wind. Not only did he take out half a dozen Shirhak with his attack, but the wind swept away a score of Shirhak.

Harrison checked on Gordy and Willard to make sure they were okay. His job was to guard the two elves until Jak had defeated Gol. Then the short stocky one would find a chink in Gol's Citadel and use the Econite that was strapped to their back to blow the tower up. Harrison also checked on the several hundred pounds of additional Econite he had been carrying. Harrison saw a gigantic Shirhak run to the city and did the first thing that came to his mind: he threw his axe. As the weapon went through the air, Harrison began calling on the Eco he had kept inside his body. His body glowed red as he increased his strength, and with every punch he threw, half a dozen more Shirhak fell. Harrison's hands crackled with energy as he launched Yellow Eco at the flying enemies while using his brute force against the groundlings. He continued to attack and protect the two elves that were so critical to a true victory…

* * *

Lauren saw seven Shirhak coming at her and concentrated hard. She gathered her energy and launched her attacks, sending multiple blasts of Yellow Eco out of her hands. The Eco shot forward and became spears. Lauren's aim was unerring, and all of the blasts went through a Shirhak's skull. As they fell, Lauren concentrated on the spear and brought them back to her, launching them again. This time, when they impacted the demons, the Yellow Eco spears fizzled out and Lauren was forced to use more Eco. As a Shirhak with a spear charged her, Lauren materialized a dozen spears and had them rotate around her body, killing the demon before its spear got close to her. A bigger Shirhak that was nearby roared as it saw its brothers be cut down and charged her. Lauren concentrated again and summoned about a dozen Yellow Eco Grenades. She launched them all at the large Shirhak, but they only slowed it down. As the Shirhak got closer, Lauren sent a large beam of energy at it. The armor, which had been damaged by the grenades, gave way and the Shirhak dissolved as its stomach was blown apart.

Lauren ducked under a massive swipe and launched concentrated on the spears she had surrounding her body. She threw them at the limber, acrobatic Shirhak and the spears stabbed at the demon from every angle. As it fell, Lauren sent a massive blast of Yellow Eco in the form of a sphere at another troll like Shirhak. As it died, Lauren sent the blast into the air and concentrated hard. The twenty or so Shirhak that charged her were all cut down as what could only be described as raindrops of Eco fell from the sky at a high velocity. She then pulled the dozen spears out of the stunned Shirhak and disposed of it with a beam. As another large Shirhak charged her, Liz sent the dozen spears at the Shirhak, hitting it in the face and between the eyes. As her foe dropped dead, Lauren pulled out her bow and arrows and prepared to use them instead of Eco, wanting to save it for later…

* * *

Ferrid swung his staff as an oncoming group of Shirhak. They were swept away by the strength of the attack, but not killed. Ferrid took this time to unscrew his staff into three sections that were linked together by chains. He swung the staff again, and this time the added momentum took out the Shirhak that got too close to him. As he spun with his attack, Ferrid took hold of the middle section of his staff. He began moving his arms to rotate the other sections rapidly and ran forward, his weapon denting the armor of the nearby Shirhak. When he was done, Ferrid turned around and shot a blast of Yellow Eco at the remaining Shirhak, blowing them all to bits.

A bellow caused Ferrid to turn around. A large sword hacked off a piece of his tri-section staff. He quickly caught the free piece and pushed a button as he swung it. Instantly, the two-foot piece of metal lengthened to four feet. He pushed another button on the two pieces he had left and they shortened to one foot. He concentrated on his power and caused a foot long blade made of Yellow Eco to shoot out of the top of the staff, while two three inches blades came out of the nunchucks. He spun the nunchucks around his body with an amazing amount of talent, taking out any Shirhak that had ignored his weapons and tried to kill him anyway. As they wailed and died, Ferrid swung his staff and cut the head off a giant Shirhak before stabbing it in the stomach. He leapt over the corpse, threw his staff, impaling three more Shirhak, and began using his nunchucks with two hands. Dozens of Shirhak were felled by his skills, and after he got a break, Ferrid lengthened his nunchucks, shortened his staff, took off the Eco extensions, and put it back together so that he had a regular staff again. He coated his weapon with Red Eco and ran at a rather large Shirhak that was wielding a wicked looking broadsword, screaming a battle cry all the while…

* * *

Emma turned on her Red and Yellow Eco Boxes as a swarm of Shirhak surrounded her. As she ducked under a swipe, she made a fist and concentrated her powers. A small blast of Yellow Eco left her palm and stopped, causing her left hand to have a foot-long Eco Blade. She blocked another stroke from a Shirhak behind her and the Shirhak wailed as it went down, its throat cut. A large Shirhak came up to her with a sword that spun like a drill. Emma quickly ducked under a strike and attacked, succeeding in nothing except getting her weapon caught by the Shirhak's hand. Emma leapt off the ground and pivoted her body, hitting the Shirhak in the face with a kick. As it staggered back and let go, Emma summoned another sword and thrust both into the Shirhak's gut before ripping them out in different directions, cutting the Shirhak in half.

Emma turned around and saw a Shirhak coming at her with a sword at the end of a spear. She leaned to the right to avoid a thrust and grabbed the wooden staff. She jerked it out of the Shirhak's grasp and held it in her hands before spinning around on the spot, killing about eighteen Shirhak that were within ten feet of her. She then ran forward and used the naginata as a pole vault, launching herself into the air. She threw it at a large Shirhak charging Harrison and watched as it went down. As she landed, Emma thrust one of her feet out and caught a Shirhak by surprise when she simply landed on its shoulders and crushed it. She blocked three strikes coming at her from a Shirhak before spinning around and decapitating him. Suddenly, a large, lumbering Shirhak came up to her and pointed its fingers at her. A stream of Yellow Eco pellets issued from it and Emma quickly summoned a Green Eco shield to block the attack. She shot a beam of Yellow Eco through the shield and blew the Shirhak apart before launching back into the fray, cutting down countless more Shirhak with her swords…

* * *

Liz curled up her lip as she turned on her Yellow Eco Box and cracked her knuckles as Shirhak ran by her. She turned around and let lose a large blast of Yellow Eco Lightning. As their skin peeled away, the Shirhak wailed their death cries until there was nothing left of them save dust. Liz turned around and saw more Shirhak approaching. She grinned: there would be plenty of Shirhak for her to kill, letting her get rid of some pent-up rage that had been directed at Gol and been simmering under the surface. As the stupid, slow moving swordsman came at her, Liz charged the air around her before launching a series of electric blasts at them. The first three attacks only damaged the Shirhak, but the following ones began to take out the large army Gol had gathered. From the dust, a very wide Shirhak came charging at Liz. She dodged to the right and thought it would simply pass, but it turned around and charged again. Liz landed on its shoulders and sent two scythe of Yellow Eco through its shoulders, hacking off the monster's arms. As she landed, Liz watched as the arms simply regenerated.

Liz pointed her arms down but kept her fingers pointing up and stored up her Green Eco, being sure not to use too much in case she needed to heal later. She unleashed her Green Lightning and the Shirhak wailed as its body was ripped apart from the attack. As it fell, Liz saw a number of flying Shirhak break off from the group and attack Julia. Liz jumped into the air and took out half a dozen throwing knives. After infusing them with Red Eco, she hurled them at the Shirhak, knowing all of the knives would explode on contact. Liz landed and thrust her fingers into cracks in the ground. Ignoring the pain she felt in her fingertips, she pumped the Yellow Eco in her body into the ground, killing another score of the large troll Shirhak. Ass they fell, Liz realized that the trolls had a lot of armor for a reason: they had no stamina. As they fell, Liz gathered her Blue Eco powers once more and ran at another giant Shirhak…

* * *

Julia cracked her knuckles and prepared to use her Eco attacks. Though she was a Channeler, she had found extremely unorthodox ways of using Eco. Though she was not as strong as any of the Sages, she was still extraordinarily powerful in her own right. She gathered small orbs of Yellow Eco in her hands. As a large Shirhak appeared in front of her, Julia threw them. The Shirhak slashed at the orbs, expecting them to be an attack. Julia smirked- the orbs were really a distraction. She closed her eyes as they exploded, generating a blinding blast. The Shirhak howled and rubbed at its eyes while Julia concentrated again. She used her Blue Eco to lift the Shirhak up off the ground and made a fist. Instantly, the body of the Shirhak was crushed to the size of a marble, which was thrown at another Shirhak so fast that it was like an arrow. As both corpses vanished, Julia turned around and looked for another target.

Julia turned on her Red Eco Box given to her by Tarea and threw a barrage of fireballs at a score of Shirhak. As the demons wailed, she put one hand on the ground. Instantly, the ground underneath the remaining Shirhak exploded as lava and fire surged upwards. Julia then used her Blue Eco powers to manipulate the wind to cool off the lava. As the lava hardened to rocks, Julia touched her hands to the earth again, causing the rocks to fall to the ground. As they got close, Julia focused her powers and caused the incoming projectiles to burst into flames, turning them into meteors. As the dust cleared, Julia manipulated the wind once more and turned it into blades of air that shredded the skin of another few Shirhak. As they vanished, she concentrated once more and called up more of the dormant powers lying within her…

* * *

Bryan jumped forward in a rolling form, swinging his weapon by its middle hoop at a large enemy. His bars hit several times before Bryan felt himself losing momentum and slammed his weapon into the ground, Channeling Yellow Eco through it and sending streaks of energy through the ground. When they reached his opponent, the streaks went up his body and ripped the Shirhak's body apart. As Bryan stood up straight, he saw a swarm of flying enemies heading for The City. He jumped into the air and spun revolver style in the air, effectively whipping the enemies. They all went plummeting to the ground, and Bryan landed on one's back before he used his tri-chucks like a noose and wrapped them through the Shirhak's mouth. Bryan rode the Shirhak and used one hand to steady himself while the other was put to use shooting the passing Shirhak. When he had taken out all of the ones that he could reach, Bryan swung his tri-chucks at the Shirhak's neck, effectively decapitating it.

Bryan landed and spun his tri-chucks around his hand with one arm while firing large Yellow Eco blasts out of his other hand. He stopped after the Shirhak learned to give him a wide berth and threw his weapon into the air before Channeling Blue Eco through his body. He sent the tri-chucks spinning through the air like a buzz saw and cut down a score of Shirhak before directing his weapon back at himself and catching it. As the hoop in the center was caught by his hand, Bryan spun around and tossed it into the air, catching two bars. He finished his spin and struck down a Shirhak that was riding on another wolf-like Shirhak. The remaining bar was moving so fast that Bryan felt no resistance as it tore through metal and flesh. He continued spinning and brought his weapon smashing down, splitting the wolf Shirhak in half. Bryan paused, taking in a deep breath before spinning his body and tri-chucks again, cutting down more Shirhak…

* * *

Margaret formed two orbs of Yellow Eco around her hands. She had been training to perfect this technique, which allowed her to launch a large number of small Yellow Eco pellets from each of her hands. Though each blast in itself was pathetically weak, together they were very powerful. As the demons approached, Margaret fired forward with her left hand while using her right to shoot behind her. When the weaker demons had been taken care of, she crossed her arms across her chest and fired to her sides, obliterating the demons that had tried to flank her. As they continued to come at her, Margaret never ceased firing, shooting forward and to the side, to the side and back, always taking them down before they got too close to her.

Eventually, the demons realized that the weaker ones would not beat this girl, and the Shirhak allowed the smaller ones to pass on to The City of The Sky while the larger ones came at Margaret. Normally, such a strategy would be useful, but in the case of Margaret, it was wasted. She ran forward and knocked over a larger demon. She smashed her foot into its face and unleashed a barrage of blasts onto its body, until there was nothing left except the head. Margaret kicked it like a soccer ball and turned around to deal with more Shirhak. She leapt into the air to avoid being skewered. As she was in the air, Margaret landed on a flying enemy and launched up again. She turned upside down and rained hundreds of small pellets down onto the unsuspecting foes that lied beneath her. The pellets also slowed down her descent, so she did not injure herself on the way down. As she landed, Margaret coated her hands with fire and ran at a demon similar to the one she had faced with Veston in the Lurker Fort, firing larger blasts at it to weaken it before she got up close…

* * *

Tiffany surrounded her hands with orbs of Red Eco. Though she and Margaret had perfected this technique, there was a difference. While Margaret used her attacks in small pellets, Tiffany preferred to use large, wide blasts that were extremely powerful in close range. She opened her palms and thrust them forward, sending a powerful blast in front of her reminiscent of a shotgun. She turned her head and saw another demon sneaking up on her from behind. She put one hand behind her while putting the other out. Two more blasts took down four more Shirhak, but Tiffany was just getting started. As a large four legged Shirhak came dashing at her with alarming speed, Tiffany put her hands together and let loose a large blast that killed not only the demon she was aiming at, but three behind it and four on the sides of it. Behind the original large demon, another was waiting. Tiffany ran forward and fired several blasts at point blank range.

Tiffany saw a ten-foot tall Shirhak running for The City of The Sky and concentrated her powers, sending a highly concentrated spear of energy at it. She watched as it tore through a few troll Shirhak before reaching its intended target, and a loud shriek made her smile grimly as she turned around and continued fighting. She sent a dozen small Red Eco Grenades at another large troll Shirhak and ran past it as it faded away. Tiffany dodged a blast of Eco sent her way and fired a retaliating blast. As another came her way, Tiffany punched it with her Eco coated hands and watched as it rebounded back and hit the one that had fired it. She ducked under a swipe taken at her continued fighting, hoping that something would happen to turn the tide of the battle. Though they were all taking down Shirhak, it was only a matter of time until they ran out of Eco and were subsequently overrun by sheer numbers…

* * *

Veston took a small step back, kept his sword in his scabbard, and turned his back slightly, keeping his hand on the sword. He spun around three hundred sixty degrees and took his sword out of his scabbard. As a Shirhak with a staff rushed in, Veston hit him with a high horizontal slash that came in from the left. While the demon blocked the first attack, he was ill prepared for the second attack, which was a sword formed by Red Eco that tore through his body and ripped him in half. Veston spun around another hundred eighty degrees and battled two demons at the same time. A spectator would be stunned by his swordsmanship- his hands moved completely independently one second and worked in sheer synchronization the next.

Veston turned around and saw a Shirhak in the air. As it landed, he turned his blade around so that he would strike with the blunt end. He swept his enemy off its feet. As it hit the ground, Veston stabbed his sword made of Eco into the back of his foe, twisted it, and then removed it. He spun out of the way of an arrow fired at him and threw his Eco Blade. His aim was perfect, and as he carved a path through the Shirhak to get his Eco Blade, he launched several beams of Eco to decimate the seemingly endless forces being released from Gol's Citadel. He sighed before cracking his neck as his picked up his Eco Blade. He began swinging them again as he continued his fight, knowing that it was futile if Jak lost, but determined to bring down as many Shirhak as he could anyway…

* * *

Andrew ducked under a swipe and grabbed the Shirhak's blade. He then began to use it, cutting down not only the Shirhak that had attacked him, but seven other that were foolish enough to be so close without attacking. He leapt into the air as an eight-foot tall Shirhak with a scythe appeared and swiped at him. Andrew launched himself at the Shirhak, his sword melting away. He twisted his body to the right to avoid losing a limb and landed on the Shirhak, fist first. As teeth fell out of the jaw, Andrew unleashed a torrent of energy blasts, throwing more than seven a second. The hit the Shirhak with such a high velocity that they tore right through the skin and kept going. Andrew stopped firing, as he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't hit a friend. Or supposed friend, Andrew reminded himself, thinking of Ferrid.

Andrew quickly put his musings aside, however, when he landed and saw that the Shirhak was still standing. Giving it points for sheer stubbornness, Andrew ran forward, surrounding his body with Yellow Eco. He dashed forward and dived, spinning his body like a corkscrew. He plowed through the large Shirhak, finally killing it, and continued going, ripping apart dozens of more Shirhak before stopping, as he had no real desires to go through a rock. Andrew leapt into the air and surrounded his body with fire. As Shirhak resembling giant pterodactyls flew towards him, he let his power loose and incinerated all of them. Andrew landed on the scorched ground and continued destroying Shirhak. A large one, almost as tall as Harrison, raised its arm to slash at him with a hammer, and Andrew ran up the Shirhak's chest and landed on its shoulders. Before the demon could fully understand just how screwed it was, it had already gotten a blast of energy through the top of its skull. Andrew jumped off the steaming and vanishing corpse and once again coated his body with Yellow Eco before going back into the fight, trying to kill as many Shirhak so as to lighten The City of The Sky's burden…

* * *

Richard ran forward, holding both his falchions in one hand each as he left his arms out. As he ran for the enemy he was aiming for, Richard's falchions burst into flame, cutting down about seven enemies that were too close. As he neared the large Shirhak, Richard brought his right sword across his body before striking with the other sword, bringing it down at an angle. He then reversed the blades and brought them back; causing a second X shaped laceration to appear in the Shirhak's armor. He brought both of his arms back and delivered the final blow- two sword slashes going straight down. As the Shirhak vanished, Richard turned around and jammed both of his swords into the ground. He concentrated on his power and sent a stream of fire forth from his blades, slaying nine more Shirhak. As he prepared to strike again, Richard saw Retep be knocked to the ground and he threw both of his blades, hoping that Retep would be able to survive with them. As more Shirhak appeared around him, Richard cracked his knuckles turned on a Red Eco Box Liz had lent him, as she never used it.

Richard delivered a vicious chop while stepping into an opponent before throwing a swiftly delivered roundhouse kick. As another Shirhak came in at him, Richard hit one with a downward blow hit hitting one behind him with a quick uppercut. He ran at a large Shirhak and hit it with a vicious flurry of thrusts and munches before finishing it with a single punch. As soon as the last punch hit, a beam of energy left, punching a hole through the armor. He jumped over a swipe aimed at his feet and did a cartwheel, kicking three more Shirhak and sending a beam of energy at a fourth. He hit a Shirhak in front of him with an elbow and then drove it backwards, hitting another one behind him. As the Shirhak behind him gasped, Richard brought his fist up, smashing its nose in before bringing his elbow across and taking off the head of the first Shirhak. He cracked his neck and looked at the remaining army. He grinned and ran forward; glad to be in battle once more…

* * *

Retep took the dozen shrunkens he always kept in a pouch out and concentrated on them. They came to life as he used his Blue Eco powers and began circling him. As the Shirhak approached him, they were sliced into ribbons by the razor-sharp weapons. Retep moved his hands to direct the shrunkens, sometimes having them circle him while waiting for the Shirhak to attack him, other times sending them to destroy the Shirhak that hoped to pass him in the sky. As a large, blundering Shirhak bellowed, Retep brought his shrunkens to him and infused them with Red Eco. Knowing he had only seconds, he launched them at the demon, embedding the throwing stars deep in the armor. The shrunkens exploded, killing the demon and knocking Retep off his feet. As he stood up, he saw the twin falchions Richard had been using lying at his feet. He picked them up and swung them, grateful his parents had made him take some sword lessons as a child.

He brought the left sword up while hi brought the right sword down, killing a small Shirhak that seemed to be agile but weak. He spun around counter-clockwise and used the momentum from his body to swing his left sword so fast that he cut three Shirhak in half. His right arm came across his body with enough force to sheer through inch thick armor and cut down another Shirhak. He then put the hilts of the falchions together, surprised when a magnetic force caused them to stick together. He overcame his surprise and continued spinning while hopping forward, cutting down any Shirhak that he deemed were close enough. He then separated the falchions and brought them both across his body in the same direction, cutting a Shirhak's head off while separating its torso from its waist. His right arm remained across his chest while the left came across before he uncrossed them and quartered another Shirhak. As the one in front of him disappeared, Retep stabbed forward with the blades and cut down another one. He removed his weapons from the Shirhak and brought them up, balancing the dull sides against his shoulders before launching himself forward at another group of Shirhak…

* * *

Keira, while lacking the genes that gave her friends and traveling companions the power to manipulate Eco, was by no means the definition of a helpless little girl. She had brought a quiver of arrows that was so heavy that Jak had carried it for her most of the way here. In addition, she had smaller arrows in small quivers on the back of her shins. And when they ran out, Tarea had given her an Eco Saber, which she was still reluctant to use. Keira was not used to fighting with any type of close range weapon, let alone a weightless blade that could go through flesh as easily as air. A regular sword would have made her comfortable, as it would have been easier to sense, whereas the Eco Blade would simply cut through her.

Keira took an arrow out of her quiver and shot a Shirhak right in the eye with a Yellow Eco arrow. The arrow became a small beam of Eco, which tore through the Shirhak and three more behind it. As she loaded another three arrows into her bow, Keira studied some flying Shirhak and watched for the moment to strike. She saw it, and the three arrows she had fired took the bird down. It crumbled away to dust and Keira smiled grimly as she continued firing arrows away, using the Yellow Eco arrows to shoot beams, Blue Eco arrows to rip through armor and flesh alike, and Red Eco arrows as grenades.

After half an hour, Keira was running out of arrows. She looked around and saw that the Channelers were beginning to get run down by the endless enemies. She fired a Yellow Eco arrow into the air, and then hit it with a Red Eco arrow. A loud explosion lit up the darkening sky (a storm had risen up) and the Channelers saw it as a signal to rendezvous.

"We can't keep this up forever," Harrison said as he breathed deeply.

"I know. I don't think we can win this," Keira said as the Shirhak got closer. Lightning flashed in sky as the Channelers prepared for one last stand that would take out a large portion of the army. Just when they two armies were about to clash, a roar split the land. Both parties froze and looked to the west.

The Channeler paled as they saw what must have been the remainder of the Lurkers standing on a hill. A lone figure stood at the head, its arm in the air.

"ATTACK!" the figure bellowed in a voice that Keira recognized.

"Hatu!" she shouted over the storm. She was unsure if the Lurker had heard her, as the Lurkers had fallen upon the Shirhak and were helping to turn the tide in the war.

"Hey Keira," he said wearily as he reached her.

"Where have you been?" she asked as she hugged her friend.

"I was captured by Gol when Benedict fought Maia. I escaped a few days ago and rallied the Lurkers. It took me a while, but I think I convinced them to leave you alone and kill only Gol and the Shirhak. They weren't exactly happy about being betrayed, but some of the smarter ones talked to me and I told them how you accepted me. Maybe we'll be able to call a truce after this," he said, a faraway look in his eye.

"Yeah," Keira murmured. "Well, it's great to see you."

"Same here. Now, lets see about this army of theirs," Hatu said with a grin as he ignited a blue Eco Saber. "Oh, and that reminds me, takes these," he said as he handed a box of two dozen Eco Sabers. You guys are running out of power, so use these. Keira took them gratefully and handed them out. The small group charged Gol's Citadel again, screaming for Gol's blood as the unexpected turn of events bolstered them. Hatu spotted a silhouette that he recognized, even among all the Lurkers, and made a beeline for it.

"Why are you helping them… brother?" Hatu asked as the Lurker that looked like his twin took the broadsword off his back.

"They have power. And if I join them, I will gain that power, the power that the Sages possess," his brother said, an insane glint coming into his eyes.

"But is it worth it Liga? Is it worth all this death just for some more power?"

"Yes! It is!"

"Why are you so obsessed with power?"

"Why do you refuse to gain power? The power of the Sages?"

"I'm content being just the way I am now," Hatu said with a shrug.

"Then why must you be in my way?"

"Simple. I just don't like you, that's all." Hatu said as he concentrated on his powers and formed two regular blades of Eco. He put them together to form a bigger stronger weapon.

"Foolishness, Hatu. Foolishness." Liga said as he walked towards Hatu. "Might controls everything. And without strength, you can't protect anything. Let alone yourself."

"If you get it, what are you going to do with all that power huh? No matter how hard you try, you're never gonna be a Sage."

"You're wasting time!" Liga said as he attacked. Hatu blocked the attack and the two stood still, grating their weapons against the others'.

"Have you forgotten what mother told us?"

"About being true to ourselves? About following our souls?"

"Yes. Because now, my soul is saying it wants to stop you!" At this, Liga let out a long laugh and stepped back.

"Unfortunately our souls are at odd, brother. I need more power."

"And we're supposed to be twins…" Hatu said sadly as he readied his weapon.

"Twins... right…" Liga said as he did the same. The two of them stood still for a second before charging each other. Hatu brought his Eco weapon down for a vertical strike, but Liga blocked it before spinning around and striking out. Hatu leapt over the blade and kicked his brother right in the face. Liga staggered back, his nose dripping blood, and fired a blast of Dark Eco at Hatu. Hatu used his sword like a bat and reflected the attack back at Liga, who staggered back again before leaping into the air and bringing his sword straight down.

Hatu dodging to the right and punching his brother in the rib. Liga let go of his sword and hit Hatu twice in the face before yanking his weapon up out of the ground. He swung the massive weapon and Hatu blocked it before jumping over another slash and kicking Liga in the chest. As he landed, Hatu was thrown back by an attack. Liga had swung his weapon and hit Hatu in the chest with the dull side. Hatu regained his footing and tried to hit Liga with another beam of Yellow Eco, but his brother dodged the attack.

Liga ran in and swung again, but Hatu had reached the conclusion that his brother was unreachable and needed to be killed. A tear ran down his eye as he ran forward and stabbed his brother right through the head. Liga gasped as his mind went blank and his now dead body hit the floor.

Hatu looked at his brother and closed his eyes, not wanting to believe that his brother was completely gone. Hatu looked out at the battle raging below him and hoped, as he down the hill, that a small part of his brother had wanted peace. As he reached the bottom of the hill, Hatu roared, eager to drown his grief in the heat of battle.

An hour later, however, Hatu was hoping for a break. While it was true Lurkers had unbelievable stamina, they eventually got tired, and the Shirhak just kept coming. Keira guessed that they had killed perhaps one million, but things were looking grim. Everyone was out of Eco and utterly exhausted, and still the Shirhak approached they stayed together and prayed for a miracle.

* * *

"Finally!" Escuro growled as she reached the Precursor artifact. It was rumored to be one of the most powerful, due to the fact that it had the power to grant any wish. Unfortunately, the legend also stated that one needed to pay a terrible price for the wish to come true.

"Who dares to summon my power?" the orb of Precursor asked as Escuro reached a hand out to touch it. She quickly withdrew her hand and sank to one knee, lowering her head and eyes.

"I do. Escuro. I have battled long and hard to reach you, oh powerful artifact, and I humbly request a wish."

"Name your desire," the orb said as it glowed brighter.

"I wish for the Necromancy Portal to be closed," Escuro proclaimed as she stood up tall.

"To achieve this, you must pay a terrible price. You must give up not only your life, but your existence. No one will ever remember you, and though the world will be the same, the people and animals will never recall you for all of eternity. Decide if the wish is worth the price and give me your answer." Escuro looked taken back at such a high price and thought about the ramifications of what she said. Either way, something enormous would happen. She looked at the orb once again and gave her answer…

* * *

Jak snuck through the Citadel, the empty passages creeping him out. At last, he made it to the room where Gol had kept the Precursor Robot last time. As he entered, Jak saw that not only had Gol fixed the robot, he had added on some new gadgets and armor.

"So, you are finally here," Gol said as he appeared. Jak stared at the Sage and tried to see into the old man's mind. Gol laughed loudly. "You think you can see into _my_ mind? Fool!" He screamed as he penetrated Jak's thoughts.

"Too late Gol. I know how to destroy the Silos and stop your plan!" Jak thought as he felt Gol enter his head. Jak blew a hole in the wall and took off, aiming for the Silos. Gol screamed in fury as he and Maia entered the Precursor Robot and tore after the Channeler.

"Good, my bluff worked," Jak thought as he flew faster. He smirked at the look Gol would have if he could see Jak's true plan. Jak's idea had been to trick Gol into opening the Silos again, turning the world back to normal. As he reached the Silos, a beam of Blue Eco hit him and trapped him in a cocoon. Mutants appeared out of seemingly thin air, and Jak recognized them from Keira's description as the ones that had defeated the elves last time.

"Fear not, we do not wish to kill you," the leader said. "We helped create this nightmare, so it is only right that we put it back. This spell will not allow to be harmed. I will release you when we have killed the Dark Sage." As Gol reached the Silo, one of the mutants flew at him. Jak wondered why they attack one at a time and the leader looked at him. "It is part of our honor code."

"What are you?" Jak asked mentally, since Daxter couldn't talk.

"We were elves, but our bodies rejected out Channeling powers and mutated us. We served the planet, trying to keep balance, but we made a terrible mistake. There have always only been twelve of us, and we must now try to rectify our mistake."

Fairy like wings sprouted from the back of the mutant fighting Gol currently. Her long and slender arms moved back and forth as she used her Blue Eco powers to manipulate the wind and try to dismantle the Robot. Her valiant attempts, however, only served to piss Gol off, and the tyrant swung at her. The fairy darted out of the way and struck out with two scythes. Gol laughed as he caught the girl and crushed her body with one of the Robot's hands.

Another mutant launched itself at Gol, using its suction-cup feet to climb up as it launched gigantic blasts of Eco Lightning at the Robot. Though the electricity traveled up and down the robot's body, it didn't seem to short-circuit it at all. Jak guessed that was one of the upgrades and closed his eyes as Gol destroyed the second mutant.

The mutant most resembling a samurai flew at Gol, using its sword to send blast after blast of fire at the robot. Gol laughed sadistically as he absorbed the flames and sent them back at the demon in the form of an ice beam. The mutant surrounded itself with a shield of heat and tried to withstand the blast, but could not hold out forever. The ice surrounded the demon and it became a frozen fossil. He fell to the ground and the ice surrounding him shattered as it hit the ground- as did the altered elf's body.

The multi-colored frail mutant launched herself at the mutant. It glowed brighter as it got closer and latched onto the head. With one cry, the mutant exploded, drowning the battlefield in an intense light. As Jak opened his eyes, he saw that the leader was crying.

One by one, all of the mutants fell, their awesome powers no match for the might of the Precursor Robot. As the leader died, she let out one last sentence.

"We have lived together, and now, we die together…" Jak felt her spell, powered by her life force, weaken and break. He stood up shakily and prepared to fight Gol for the fate of the planet.

* * *

As Hatu raised his sword for another slash, the Shirhak in front of him vanished. All across the battlefield, the demons vanished into dust and were gone. A loud cheer broke out as they realized that for some reason, the Necromancy Portal had been closed, destroying all the Shirhak on Weyard.

"To the Citadel!" Keira shouted. As the group approached, Hatu held up a hand.

"Out of all of us, you have been on this journey the longest. You deserve to see Jak, but we have other business to attend to. We must ensure that Gordy and Willard can destroy the tower, and we promise not to do so until you get out." Keira looked reluctant, but Hatu continued. "Gol had may servants: Lurker, Shirhak, and elf. They will now come out and try to stop us, allowing you to get in unnoticed." Keira nodded and entered the tower. To her surprise, there was an elevator that seemed to lead to the top of the tower, along with a Warp Gate. As she got on the elevator, the Sages came out.

"We are here this time to help Jak," Samos said as he picked himself up off the floor.

"Daddy…" Keira said, her voice tight with emotion. The Sages and Keira rode the elevator up to the top, where the final clash in this war would take place…

* * *

As Jak prepared to battle Gol for the last time, he thought of all of those who had died and been manipulated by the Dark Sage. As the two combatants stared at each other, they knew that everything was riding on this last fight, this final skirmish.

As a bolt of lightning struck and thunder swept over the Silo, both elves moved towards each other. Subconsciously, Jak realized that this was how the other fight had started, and he prayed that this one ended differently than the first time…

* * *

Hello, and glad I managed to get this out. I am very sorry for the shortness of the individual battle scenes, but I was pressed for time. That being said, I hope I covered everyone's individual styles sufficiently, as well as give each of them the spotlight for a little while. I also apologize for the crappiness of the chapter, as I rushed it. Hopefully, the ending is good, as I finished it somewhere around three in the morning. Please let me know what you think, but please, go easy. Especially the return of the Lurkers and the fight scene between Hatu and Liga. Not to mention I'm sure I pissed off a lot of people when I made it so that no one will ever remember Escuro. Also, the mutants attack Gol in the order they appeared in Chapter 29: Struggles for the Future. I was short on time, so go and re-read that chapter to see what they look like.

* * *

URGENT NOTICE

Any, and I mean ANY, ideas for the Precursor Robot would be greatly appreciated. It could be a piece of technology Gol could have found, an addition of his own, anything. My original take on the next chapter is only seven pages long. I might be able to lengthen it, but you would all make my job much easier if you could think of even one thing, no matter how ludicrous. Right now, Gol has a Green Eco Generator, eight Dark Eco turrets surrounding the Generator, a Dark Eco shield that can be brought up three times, a Blue Eco cannon in its eye, a flamethrower attached to the top of the head, Eco Sabers covering the fingers of one hand, a number of Eco drainer disks, a Red and Yellow Eco blaster, a Yellow Eco rifle, and a lightning rod that can harness electricity and use it as a weapon. Anything else would be greatly appreciated.

* * *

Quote of the week- Me

Rule #18 of Life (Inspired by Thomas Jefferson): Material abundance without character is the surest way to destruction.


	50. Light Amongst Shadows

To those who reviewed:

Keeroshu- Yes, Cara can be quite... evil when she wants to be. Keeping away from angry Channelers is a very good idea indeed. Thank you for the compliment on the fight scenes, though I still do not feel satisfied with them. I already though about the weight thing on the Robot, and I put Blue Eco panels on it so as to increase the movement speed. As for colds,... there are two kinds. Normal ones that last two weeks, and the flu shot induced ones. I don't get a flu shot for a simple reason- a flu shot gives you a cold for three hundred and sixty five days. Everyday you wake up, you have a cold, but you never have the flu, because you always have a cold. Therefore, I guess you have a flu... shot induced... block. Yeah, I'll shut up now. Hope this next chapter is worth reading, and I also hope that you break out of the slump.

Red Mage 04- Yes, as much as I wanted Gol to break as many of the Evil Overlord Rules as possible, I also thought that what he did would be, well not funny, but a small source of comic relief. He did, however, make a major error in allowing Jak to get to his throne room unimpeded. And I thought Maia should break a few rules as well. I hope to have the next chapter up in seven days, so wish me luck. Yeah, I went a little overboard on DMC3. By overboard, I mean I played through Dante Must Die in three and a half hours. As for the memory block, I needed that so Daxter and everyone wouldn't freak when Jak transforms in Renegade. Plus, she wanted to be forgotten, as she was ashamed of herself for selling her soul to Gol in exchange for power and another lease on life. I would like to know exactly what a vector cannon is, since I think I know where I could install it and how to counter the recoil. Well, not exactly install, it will have been there the entire time. Gol has just had more time to "play" with the Robot and he has discovered more weapons systems than the last time, which was the first time he had used it. Thanks for the idea, and if you could just tell me what it does, I'll be glad to put it in.

PirateElfKastel- Too late my friend, you already seem crazy. But remember, the alternative is being normal (shudders). It's nice that you took the time to review this, since I'm sure there are better stories to read and more important things to do. As for the spy, you will discover fairly quickly who that is, but it won't be there the entire time. I liked Cara too, she was one of my favorite actually. As for the seas, we WILL work together. We'll be like Captain Jack Sparrow: pirates and good men, or women. Feel free to take as long as you want, but I won't be updating until next Friday- I have many ceremonies to go through (proms, graduations, etc.). Good luck on your own writings, and thank you again for reviewing.

Silver-WindScar- Yes, the quote is both abundant in awesomeness and truthfulness. Sorry, I'm absolutely exhausted, but I didn't want to wait until tomorrow to answer the reviews that you and others so kindly gave me. I saw the chapter, and I canNOT believe that I didn't realize it was Link. I'm sorry. I'll pay for the dental and doctor bills from you screaming at me. In the meantime, I hope these next two chapters liven your week. The first one will be up Thursday, and the next will be short, so it'll only take me a day. Hope to see you update soon as well. Crap creek. I think I visited that place a few weeks ago. Oddly enough, my muse drowned. Glad the chapter was good, because the next one is (duh) the fight between Jak and Gol. I hope I pulled it off good. Hope the wait was worth it.

Lauren- Actually, you've been able to use a bow and arrow since the beginning. Check out Chapter Eight: Motives Unveiled. You see yourself using a bow, arrow and slingshot in there. And yes, Yellow Eco rocks.

Amathist Fwirrel- Thanks for the compliment. Many of your suggestions for the Precursor Robot (thing-imy-jig) won't fit, since Jak is only about the size it finger. I did find some use for a few of them, as you will after you read the fight. And yes, I did say no matter how ludicrous. Thanks a lot for the suggestions. I have a lot of confidence that they contributed a large part of the chapter's goodness. What little there was, anyway.

GoodMorningBeautiful2005- Thanks for the compliment on the chapter, and thanks anyway for at least thinking about ideas for the Robot. I'll update as soon as I possibly can, and I'm glad to know that you will do the same.

animedragongirl- Um, thanks. I think. Glad to see you're back: I thought I might have scared you off.

Disclaimer- I own nothing, save what my insane shattered mind has cooked up.

* * *

Light Amongst Shadows

The two elves waited for something to trigger the fight. Any movement, a flash of lightning, a move by the other person, anything. Jak waited, alert but relaxed. A tip he had learned from Richard while training was that the tenser you were, the slower you moved. That little jolt at the beginning before you put your body into motion would cost you a few seconds, or maybe just one. Regardless of the time, Jak knew that even the slightest mistake could result in his death. Modest though he was, Jak also knew that he was the planet's best chance. His friends combined could probably do what he was attempting by himself, but Jak would not allow them to help. The entire situation was his fault. If he had been successful in stopping Gol from collecting the pieces, Gol would never have been able to build this technological monstrosity in the first place. And if he had recognized Gol's trap, he might have been able to prevent the Precursor Robot from being powered up in the first place. Not to mention the fact that he had failed the first time facing Gol, and must now try to make up for it, even if it cost him is life. Jak was more confident in his abilities that last time, but he knew that a Precursor Robot was an extremely powerful creation. Jak had learned a few new tricks, including some powers from the Sages themselves. Potentia had included a message hidden in the Yellow Eco Crystal he had given to Jak, which had an explanation of a new power, one that Jak fully intended to use.

Gol, though aware of what Jak was capable of dishing out, despite the memories of how Jak had come so close to triumphing last time, regardless of the fact that Jak had no doubt gained more powers than the last time the had fought, and showing a complete disregard for the way Jak's power had increased over the course of ten months to meet whatever challenge Gol had thrown at him, was confident that he would win this skirmish. He had been experimenting with the Precursor Robot for the past four months and had discovered more abilities and powers that he had not been aware of last time. In addition, Gol had discovered a more efficient way of piloting the Robot. He was hooked up to a suit of Precursor metal that translated his movements into the Robot's while Maia sat in another chair and could access the weapon panel. Another plus from using this was the suit would let him sense injuries by shooting flashes of pain at Gol's body where the damage had occurred. Gol's new suit also allowed him to use the additions he had placed. When using the rifle, Gol's left hand turned from an arm into a cannon. To cap it all, Gol's helmet allowed him to see through the Robot's eyes, as well as in seven other directions. He had also attacked more rouge pieces of Precursor technology along with a few of his own surprises, the least powerful being a blinding flash, a fan, and an acid dispenser. He sneered as Jak stood on the closed Silos, defiant and determined. Despite the trouble Jak had given him, Gol had to admit that the boy was powerful. The Sage closed his eyes in regret that he had to destroy such a powerful elf. Had Jak not been so determined to stop him, Gol would have gladly taken Jak as an heir to the throne of Weyard.

As a bolt of lightning struck nearby, Jak tapped into one of the powers Zeorro had taught him. Concentrating as hard as he could, Jak used the Blue Eco emanating off his body to bend the light around his body, rendering himself invisible. As he seemingly vanished into thin air, Gol jumped in surprise. Jak noticed the Robot move as though it was shocked and dashed forward, turning off his Blue Eco Pack when he was close and activating the Red and Yellow Eco Packs by using the glove Tarea had given him as she had instructed. As he came back into sight, the head of the Precursor Robot snapped back as though in shock. Jak dashed forward and slammed his fist into the glass ball in the real eye of the Precursor Robot. The strength Red Eco gave him allowed him to form a crack in the foot thick glass. Jak opened his hand and shot a blast of Yellow Eco out of his hand. As the beam penetrated the glass, Jak leapt off of the Precursor Robot and flew back. The hands of the Robot came up to grab at its eye and Jak noticed that the Robot seemed to be acting like a large elf.

Curious as to why the Robot had changed from an unfeeling hunk of metal into something that could feel, Jak spun his body like a ballerina to avoid being eviscerated by the eighteen Eco Sabers that Gol had sent at him from the fingers of the Precursor Robot. Jak grabbed one and flew as fast as he could, not wanting to get pulled back to the hand like he had the last time he had fought Gol. Jak sliced open a small hole in the head of the Precursor Robot and instructed Daxter to go in and see why the Robot was different. After much grumbling and after nearly getting crushed, Daxter agreed. As his friend scuttled inside the Precursor Robot, Jak prayed that his friend would be able to get out unharmed.

"Get off me you insolent maggot!" Gol screamed. Jak did as he was told, but thought with some satisfaction that he must be irritating Gol a lot if the Sage was screaming at him already. Jak flew around the head of the Robot and once again prepared to punch the glass eye. As he neared it, the eye began to glow. Jak closed his eyes tightly and grabbed his aching head as a brilliant flash came out of the eye, blinding him. Jak moved around without seeing where he was going as he rubbed his eyes, trying to get the spots in his vision out. Unfortunately, he wasn't moving fast enough, and Gol smacked him with the palm of one of the Precursor Robot's hands. Jak went flying down into the forest below and hit the ground hard enough to sink beneath the rock and cause the ground around him to crack.

Jak picked himself out of the ground and cracked his neck to get the kinks out. He looked up at the Precursor Robot and wondered if it could see him. As it looked down and the Green Eco Generator on its chest began to glow, Jak simply assumed that it could. The blasts went down to where he was and Jak leapt into one, smiling in relief as his bruises left his body. He looked around and realized that he had been foolish to drop his guard with the balls of concentrated Green Eco flying into trees. As the trees glowed, Jak got an ominous feeling that this could not be anything good. He tried to fly off, but something wrapped itself around his ankle. Jak looked down to see a root sticking out of the ground. He activated his Red Eco Pack by pressing a button in his palm and lit his body on fire. The root let go of him and Jak began throwing fireballs at the advancing trees. As they got closer, Jak gathered his powers and let loose a blast of flames from his body that lifted him off the ground an inch. A massive orb of flames shot out and scorched everything within twenty feet. Jak looked around and flew up towards the Precursor Robot, using a technique that he had learned by himself. He coated his body in Yellow Eco and flew straight into the chest of the Precursor Robot. As the Eco around him sharpened to a needle, Jak plowed into the Green Eco Generator in the chest of the Robot.

Gol screamed in fury as Jak shattered the Precursor artifact. Jak smirked, but frowned when he realized that he was by eight turrets that shot out Dark Eco. All of them pointed inwards but thankfully, none of them shot out a beam. Jak grit his teeth as the turrets shot out electricity that was formed from Dark Eco. Jak went flying back, the electricity steering him into the wall of the Silo. As Jak fell, he activated his Green Eco Pack and healed his broken ribs. He rose up into the air again and began flying as fast as he could to avoid the thin beams of ark Eco that were now coming out of the turrets. Jak was so focused on avoiding the thin beams that he did not realize that Gol had exchanged his left arm for the large rifle slung across the Precursor Robot's back. As the gargantuan blast came streaking across the air, Jak realized that he had to play another one of his trump cards. He called upon his Blue Eco powers and focused as he had never done before. Zeorro's face appeared in his mind, explaining the technique. The blast of Yellow Eco hit Jak, but Jak was unharmed. In fact, the blast had gone _through_ him instead of hitting him. Jak smiled in triumph and flew at Gol as fast as he could. He focused his powers as he got closer and fazed through the hand that was adorned with Eco Sabers. As he neared the head, Jak heard a scream for help. Jak's eyes widened: Daxter was crying for rescue.

Fury filled Jak's eyes as he aimed for the head. He fazed through the Precursor metal and landed on the cockpit. What resulted was rather comical. Gol and Maia, so focused on the rodent, were shocked by the appearance of Jak in their sanctuary. Jak ran up to Daxter and grabbed his friend out of Maia's grip. He quickly fazed through the back of the head and hovered above the base of the skull.

"Thanks Jak, I owe you one," Daxter said weakly as Jak set his friend back on his shoulder. Jak grinned, and listened closely to what Daxter said as he kept an eye on the Precursor Robot, which was spinning around to look for him. Fortunately, keeping directly above Gol was not too hard, and Jak was to avoid detection for the most part.

"Gol's all hooked up to one cool lookin' suit," Daxter explained as Jak continued circling the Robot. "It like he has become the Robot. He can feel what you do it, and he also can move it by moving himself. Maia's on weapons, so while Gol moves the Robot, she can use the weapons and change what he has," Daxter explained as Gol looked down and saw Jak in his back view. He swung the artifact on the top of the Precursor Robot around and shot a blast of flames at the Channeler. Jak summoned a Green Eco shield and grit his teeth against the powerful attack.

"You'll never defeat me!" Gol screamed as he continued to pour flames forth. Jak gathered a ball of Yellow Eco in his hand and shot it forward through the shield. His attack cut through the flames and hit the center of the flame-spewing artifact. Jak flew down and landed on the flamethrower. He formed a Yellow Eco Blade in his hand and stabbed down, cutting through the delicate wires that were exposed. He continued attacking as Gol tried to get him off the Precursor Robot. Jak tried to hold on, but eventually was thrown off and went sailing forward. Gol spotted the Channeler and instead of shooting him, opted instead to smack Jak with the rifle. Jak's body hit the top of the Silo, hard. Gol sent a disk flying at Jak, which began to glow with sparks of electricity as it neared the large tower. Jak saw the disk and wondered what it could be. He back flipped off the Silo and was sincerely glad that he did so as he heard the disk explode a second later. Jak climbed back up the Silo and saw an enormous blast of Yellow Eco leave the rifle as well as a score of the Red and Yellow Eco blasts be discharged from the contraption above the right arm.

Jak grinned grimly, as this was exactly what he had been hoping for. He focused his Blue Eco powers again and though the beam and blasts had been aimed perfectly, they still went right through Jak and hit the Silo instead. The force of the attacks caused the Silo to creak as it opened slowly. Jak grinned again as he flew up into the air, more grateful than he could describe that he had the Eco Crystals. Though they were small, they housed incredible power, as Jak could see that he had more than seventy-five percent of his all his Eco Packs full.

Gol pointed his right arm at Jak and instructed his sister to press a button. She did, and nine Eco Sabers went flying at Jak like spears. Jak dodged to the right and flew up into the air to avoid being skewered, as it held little appeal to him at this point in his life. The Eco Sabers went flying back to Gol and Jak grabbed the hilt of one to get back faster. As he neared the Robot, Jak crushed the hilt of the Eco Saber and destroyed it. Jak shot back to the Silo and stood there. A small lull came around as both the elf and the Robot stared at one another, Jak trying to think of a way to trick Gol into opening the Silos again, while Gol was trying to think of a way to just kill this annoying elf. He slammed his right hand down on the Silo. Jak jumped up and landed on the hand as he summoned two Yellow Eco Sabers. He slammed them down on the repaired device that allowed Gol to fire blasts that were a mixture of Yellow Eco and Red Eco. Unfortunately, it seemed that not only had the machine been fixed, but it had also been improved so that such a feeble attack wouldn't hurt it.

Gol changed his Yellow Eco rifle for the other arm and slammed it onto the other hand with enough force to dent the pipes of metal connecting one glass circle to the other. As Gol howled in pain, Jak vaulted backwards and sent a few Yellow Eco Grenades at the face of the Robot, peppering both eyes. As Gol roared, Jak thought with some satisfaction that he might just cause Gol to die of high blood pressure if he kept this tactic up. Reluctantly, Jak decided that he had better take the battle back to the air, lest Gol suspect what Jak's plan was. As he flew away, Jak noted again how narrowly he had survived, as Gol had swung his first hand across the Silo hard enough to cause a small gale that sped Jak up as he flew as fast as he could, anxious to get to the back to the Robot and inflict a bit of damage.

As he landed, Jak jammed his Eco Blades into the wiring on the back of the Precursor Robot. What happened next shocked Jak. The wires came to life and grabbed Jak's feet. Seven more groups of wires writhed out of the back and lunged for Jak, some tipped with electricity, some tipped with Yellow Eco, some tipped with fire, and all of them looking very sinister. Jak struggled with the wires on his feet for a split second before focusing instead on the other tentacles, which seemed to be a more pressing issue. He leaned back as one whipped across where his face had been a second ago and hacked it in half as it went sailing by. Two others approached him from different sides and Jak dodged the one laced with fire, but was struck in the leg by the one that had electric rings traveling up and down its length. As the electricity ravaged his body, Jak felt Daxter's fur stand on end and touch his face. With an enormous effort, Jak activated his Yellow Eco Pack and his aura flared around him. Jak concentrated on his power and did a trick he had learned from Andrew.

Blades of Yellow Eco formed from his aura and began to surround Jak, whirling around him like a cyclone. The wires were shredded into bits of metal and plastic as Jak ripped his feet free and grabbed a rather sharp looking piece of shrapnel. He grabbed it and jammed it into the back of the Precursor Robot. As more metal fell out, Jak gathered it around him via his Blue Eco powers and began sending it all into the Precursor Robot's back, cutting wires and shredding the bits of metal that were so crucial to the machine.

Gol felt his body jerk around as the Precursor Robot's right arm jerked around like it was having a seizure. When the mechanical monstrosity had repaired itself, Gol spun around and began shooting blasts of Blue Eco and bright light at Jak in an effort to kill him. Jak dodged the deadly blows and gathered his powers before sending two beams at the Precursor Robot. One smashed into the eye that was emitting a bright light, and Gol shrieked as the eye shattered and was finally destroyed. Jak continued to pour his power into his attack, pushing against the beam of Blue Eco that was issuing from the repaired Blue Eco Cannon in the Precursor Robot's right eye socket. As he continued to struggle with the Robot, Jak realized that he would lose the beam struggle. He ceased his attack and flew to the right as Gol turned with him. As he continued to fly, Jak thought of getting closer to destroy the cannon.

"Do you have a death wish or something?" Daxter screeched as Jak began dodging not only the Blue Eco Cannon, but the eight Dark Eco Turrets as well. Jak ignored his friend and surrounded his body with a Green Eco Shield until he landed on the face of the Precursor Robot. Jak gathered an orb of Yellow Eco and an orb of Red Eco in each hand and squished them together to form one of his deadliest attacks. Jak slammed his attack into the face of the Precursor Robot and smiled when he heard the Blue Eco Cannon detonate. As he back flipped and landed on the Silo, Jak looked up and saw Blue Eco leaking out of the eye socket of the Precursor Robot, making it look as though the technological titan was crying for the way it was being abused.

* * *

"There he is!" Keira shouted as she spotted Jak. To her delight, it appeared as though he had damaged the Precursor Robot and succeeded in opening the Silos slightly. "Go and help him," she urged the Sages, who were now simply looking at the raging battle.

"No," Samos said as a wind blew.

"What?" Keira shrieked. "But Daddy, he can't beat them by himself, he'll need your-"

"Jak has had sufficient training to overcome this obstacle," Samos said loudly, overriding his daughter's protests. "I have every confidence that he will be victorious," he added. Keira did not look convinced, and Samos turned to the other Sages for help in persuading his daughter.

"Jak is a powerful Channeler," Zeorro said. "He can accomplish this commission, and if he fails, we will be there to resuscitate him and eliminate Gol and Maia."

"They're right Keira," Santar added. "Jak needs to finish this on his own."

"That boy an' the muskrat're more then capable of takin' out the Robot," Potentia assured her.

"He has my equipment, not to mention the Eco Crystals," Tarea said as she put a consoling around Keira.

"Not to mention the fact that he must do this alone if he is to fulfill the prophecy," Alecis added.

"What prophecy?" Keira asked.

"The one I told you about. Near the end, it stated, 'And the Dark Ones would be challenged by the defender of Weyard. Light would meet Shadow, and as the two clash, the salvation or damnation of the world will depend on the outcome.'"

"So that means that Jak has to do this alone?" Keira asked.

"Yes Keira," Samos said softly.

Keira turned towards the fight once more and watched as Jak continued to try to defeat the Robot while trying to coax it into opening the Silos.

* * *

As the Precursor Robot attacked again, Jak fired a ball of Yellow Eco at the chest of the robot. As he expected, Gol brought its arms up to cover the chest. Jak quickly aimed a Red Eco Grenade at the face of the Precursor Robot, aiming for where Gol was sitting. The Channeled Red Eco struck the massive machine, but it did little more than send sparks flying around. Jak saw Yellow Eco gather at the tip of the rifle attached to the left arm of the Precursor Robot and flew up into the air to avoid it. As the massive attack struck the Silo, Jak was nailed by a fireball from the left hand. Jak went flying back and saw Daxter fly off his shoulder and land on the left arm. Jak steadied himself and desperately tried to get to the robot appendage before something unfortunate happened to his friend. As he flew, Jak saw another of the disks heading for him. He increased his fling speed, but did not count on the disk having homing capabilities. As the disk hit him, Jak shifted to the right ever so slightly and caused the disk to hit the corner of his backpack that was carrying the Green Eco Crystal. The disk shrank until it was about the size of Jak's face and it glowed a bright green as it leeched all of the Eco out of his Green Eco Pack. Jak panicked and tried to get the disk off, but to no avail.

As the disk fell off his back after stealing all of Jak's Green Eco, the Channeler suddenly felt cold. He turned back towards Gol, knowing that there would be no healing from this point on. If Jak sustained an injury now, he would be stuck with it. Almost panicking, Jak remembered Daxter.

"Don't bother gettin' me buddy," Daxter told Jak over a communication link. Jak stared in amazement at the device Keira had installed in his goggles: how had Daxter concealed a communicator from him without Jak realizing it?

"Simple, I stuck it in your backpack. I'm gonna try and take this bad boy apart from the inside out, so excuse me please," Daxter said. Jak looked at the communicator in astonishment before turning back to the task at hand. Jak charged up two Yellow Eco spears and chucked them at Gol, who used a giant arm to swat the two Channeled attacks away.

While Gol was busy guarding the belly of the Robot, Jak tapped into his Blue Eco powers and flew down before going between the legs of the Precursor Robot and charging up a Yellow and Red Eco Grenade to throw at the already damaged circuitry. As he threw the attack, Gol suddenly spun the Robot around hard enough to generate a small gale. Jak dashed forward and dodged the Dark Eco turrets. He summoned a Yellow Eco Blade and threw it at the face of the Robot. Just as it was about to hit, Jak used his powers to redirect the blast and hit the flamethrower on the top of the head. He smiled when he heard it hit, but quickly frowned.

All in all, his small victories were not enough. Jak knew that he had used up about half of his Eco already, as the fazing and invisibility techniques were extremely draining. He had launched a myriad amount of attacks using Red and Yellow Eco, and his Green Eco was completely gone. Something miraculous would be needed if Jak was going to come out of this tussle on top and alive. Keira's bright, smiling face shimmered into Jak's mind and Jak remembered that he was not only fighting for himself, but for everyone that inhabited the world that the Precursors had crafted for them.

As the device on the top of the head sparked, Jak landed on one of the arms. As he ran down the arm, he looked for any sign of Daxter,. His friend was nowhere to be seen, however, and so Jak returned to the task he had on hand. He leapt into the air and landed on the wrist of the Precursor Robot. He quickly grabbed an Eco Saber and proceeded to cut the rest of them off by the hilts before crushing the one in his palm. Jak turned around as an ominous glowing lit the air behind him and realized that he had forgotten something crucial: he was right in front of the Red and Yellow Eco Launcher.

Jak said his prayers as the device glowed brighter and brighter. Miraculously, his prayed were answered in the form of an act committed by the Precursors. Loud bangs filled the air as the device stalled and broke down. As he flew off, Jak saw Daxter emerging from a hole in the arm. Grinning, Jak realized that it was not the Precursors, but Daxter that had saved him. Jak swooped down and caught his friend as he peppered the exposed wires with Yellow Eco blasts. Jak anxiously kept moving, not eagerly to be in one spot too long now that he was no longer able to heal himself.

Gol and Maia both screamed with fury as they unleashed everything they had upon Jak. Jak was his opportunity and flew right towards the Silos. As the massive attacks impacted the ancient container, it creaked open until it was a quarter of the way open. Jak smiled before deciding it was about time he took another piece of the Precursor Robot off. He spun around and gasped: it appeared that Gol had found a new weapon on board the Precursor Robot. Five gigantic tentacles sprouted off the mechanical monstrosity's back, all tipped with a large sphere. As he watched, Jak saw the tips of the circles begin to glow brightly. He dodged to the left just in time, for he had not moved an inch when a large beam went whizzing by, aimed exactly where Jak had been hovering a second ago. Jak could feel the heat from the attack as he shot forward, knowing that he had to destroy those weapons first, since they appeared to pose the biggest problem.

Jak summoned a pair of Yellow Eco Blades as he got close and swung at a tentacle. To his delight, the metal let out a shrieking sound as it fell, but the other four shot their attacks at him. Jak dropped to avoid two, but the other two beams were closing in fast, and they looked deadly. At the last second, Jak increased the size of his Eco Blades and blocked the incoming attacks before throwing his weapons at the tentacles. As the Blades were moved, the beams came in and Jak flew forward to avoid being cooked alive. As the beams got closer, Daxter screamed in terror, but Jak smiled: his Blades had just cut through two more tentacles. As he flew back towards the Precursor Robot, Jak wondered if he might not be able to use the tentacles to help him destroy the Robot. He sped up, using fire as well as Blue Eco to move so fast that he appeared as little more than a blur. He climbed up the Precursor Robot's back and grinned when he heard the weapons fire, heedless of the damage they were inflicting on the robot. Jak landed on the flamethrower when they stopped. As the tips of the tentacles glowed brighter, Jak leapt out of the way of a massive attack.

Two great balls of heat hit the flamethrower, which had been made by Gol, and melted it. The Precursor metal underneath, however, looked completely unharmed. Jak seized the pieces of debris with his Blue Eco powers and brought them close to his body. He touched them and began pumping Red Eco into them, charging them. He had seen Santar do this during their fight, and hoped it worked as well for Jak as it did for the Sage. He hurled the debris at the remaining tentacles, and just as they got close enough, the metal exploded, destroying the two last tentacles. Jak saw the massive arm attached to the back of the Precursor Robot and noticed the Eco Sabers shining brilliantly on the tips of the fingers. Jak darted downward, avoiding an Eco draining disk and he disposed of remaining Eco Sabers. Now he didn't have to worry about being sliced into confetti. Not, Jak reminded himself, that that was so great of an advantage.

As the Precursor Robot spin around again, Jak dodged a barrage of small, thin beams that were coming from the eight turrets surrounding the area where the Green Eco Generator had been before. It appeared that Maia, who was working the controls of the weapons, had decided that instead of a multitude of small attacks, she would simply cast a large attack and hope it hit. The eight Dark Eco turrets fired at the same place and met in a dot. An enormous beam emitted from said dot and Jak dropped down to avoid it. While he avoided this attack, Gol exchanged the massive cannon on his left arm for the regular arm, and fired another Eco draining disk at Jak, growling when he missed.

Jak used a technique that Santar showed him. Though it would use a lot of Red Eco, it would also help Jak charge up another attack. He brought his hands together in a praying position and gathered his Red Eco there. He spread his arms away and a massive blast of flames shot out, their light so intense that it blinded the two Sages stationed in the Precursor Robot. Jak flew back towards the Silo and turned on his Yellow Eco Pack. He put his left foot in front of him, facing forward, while his right foot faced towards the right. Jak leaned back onto his right leg and twisted his body so that his left shoulder was pointing straight ahead. Jak's right hand was facing palm up with the fingers sticking straight out at different angles. The same was true of the left hand, directly over the right, facing palm down. Jak's Yellow Eco aura flared out and continued to grow. Jak grit his teeth as the power he was trying to contain threatened to tear him apart from the inside out. Finally, when the sensation became unbearable, Jak let a massive beam of Yellow Eco flow from his hands. The attack, about as big in diameter as one of the arms of the Precursor Robot, flew forth.

Gol saw the massive attack coming in and knew that his robot would not be able to stand up to such a powerful attack. He stuck out his right hand and opened it, exposing the palm. A fan began to spin rapidly, causing everything nearby to be sucked in. Jak's attack was diverted into the fan and consumed. As his jaw dropped in disbelief, Gol cackled in triumph. His laughs however, quickly became screams of pain as the attack, too powerful to be dispersed, ripped the forearm apart. As the large piece of machinery fell off the Robot, Jak felt his heart swell with confidence once more. Perhaps things were not as hopeless as he had thought. Maybe, just maybe, he would be able to complete the monstrous task he had set in front of him.

Despite his risen spirits, however, Jak knew that things were going badly. He had destroyed nearly half of the Robot, but at the cost of about eighty percent of all his Eco. He had very little left- that last attack had been meant to almost destroy the Robot. Fortunately, large pieces of the arm had hit the Silo top, causing it to creak about halfway open.

Both Jak and Gol stared at each other as another lull in the fight took place. Another bolt of lightning struck nearby, and as the light swept over them, Jak launched himself at Gol once more.

Gol, on the other hand, had had just about enough of toying with Jak and decided that it was time to end the fight then and there. He flew up into the sky, and Jak followed him quickly. As Gol rose into the clouds, Jak smirked. Gol clearly had forgotten that lightning would strike the highest thing. As Jak flew at Gol, the Dark Sage laughed triumphantly as a bolt of lightning hit the Robot. Gol extended the right arm of the Precursor Robot and cackled evilly as a blast of electricity was unleashed.

Jak let out a string of mental curses as he narrowly dodged the several thousand-volt attack. Large blasts of lightning that were thicker than Jak ravaged the land and set the beautiful forest ablaze. Jak watched in horror as Gol abandoned his goal of killing Jak and instead continued destroying the land. Jak's eye narrowed in fury as he flew faster than ever at Gol and sent a blast of fire at the lightning rod, which he realized was the "ears" of the Precursor Robot.

Gol cried out in pain as the ears exploded and stopped his attack. Nearly foaming at the mouth as Jak landed on the nose of the Precursor Robot and made an idiotic face, Gol fired the remaining three Eco draining disks. Jak had no time to dodge and closed his eyes in pain as all of his remaining Eco was sucked out of him.

Jak fell through the air and hit the Silo hard. He looked down, almost crying at the realization that he had lost once again. Gol had defeated him and now Jak was going to die. But it wasn't the death that bothered him; Jak was upset because he had failed once more. Through his closed eyes, he didn't notice the four small towers atop the Silo begin to glow. Nor did he notice the Eco Crystals, robbed of their power, begin to glow brightly.

"Jak…" Daxter said softly as the Eco Crystals left the pack on Jak's back and rose into the air. Jak looked up in astonishment as each of the Eco Crystals flew towards a tower and situated themselves in the top. The towers glowed brightly and a beam of Blue, Green, Red, and Yellow Eco issued forth from the towers, meeting in the center. A blaze of light erupted from where the Ecos met and Jak shielded his eyes from the intensity. When the light dimmed, Jak was sure that he had died and gone to Foretaste or was seeing a hallucination.

A glob of liquid Eco was growing where the Ecos were meeting. It was suspended in mid-air, and was the purest white. It looked just like a floating cloud, yet Jak could feel the sheer power it emanated from where he was standing. From his childhood, Jak remembered legends of what this stuff was…

"LIGHT ECO!" Gol shrieked, clearly realizing the same thing Jak realized.

"They must not be allowed to get it!" Maia screamed in, what Jak was pleased to hear, fear. Daxter realized what the glob was now and slapped Jak on the back of the head.

"Light Eco? That could be the stuff to change me back! Or… it might stop that robot." Jak watched as his friend raised both his hands and began muttering to himself, moving his hands as though they were scales. "Stay fuzzy. Save the world. Choices." Jak looked at his friend in disbelief, disgusted if Daxter was serious, and angry if he was joking. Daxter seemed to notice, for he quickly made a choice. "Oooookay, fine! We'll save the world! But do it quick, before I change my mind!" He grumbled. Jak grinned: he knew that Daxter would not be so selfish as to damn the world for his looks back.

Jak touched the Light Eco and gasped- it felt as though he was holding pure power in the palm of his hand. The Eco instantly spread to cover his entire body, and Jak soon looked as though someone had melted glass, covered his body with it, and charged him with light. The only was to describe his appearance was that of an angel, terrible and beautiful at the same time. Jak opened his eyes, which were now bright red. Neither the insane bloodthirsty red, nor the psychotic red the Gol's had turned occasionally. No, this was a calmer, more sedated red.

Jak turned around and looked at the Precursor Robot, which no longer seemed so intimidating and impossible to defeat. He calmly surveyed the remaining artifacts that Gol had attached to the perverted device. There were still the eight Dark Eco turrets on the chest of the Precursor Robot- those would have to be destroyed. Other then that, it didn't seem there was much, only the Yellow Eco rifle and the Red and Yellow Eco Launcher.

"You may now wield the power of light, but you will never defeat the coming darkness!" Gol declared stared at the opposing figure. Jak simply continued to stare at the Precursor Robot, his calmness somehow doing more than any taunt, any comeback he could have gestured. Gol screamed in irrational fear and fury as he charged up all his weapons and unleashed a barrage of attacks.

Jak looked at the Eco flying at him as though he were merely interested in the lethal attacks coming his way. He blinked and a shield of Light Eco instantly expanded from his body. The attacks fizzled out as they came into contact with the shield. Some were deflected onto the floor of the Silo, which groaned as it creaked open a little more. Jak could not explain why he felt so calm; it was hard to describe what he was feeling. It was as though an inferno of rage was contained inside him one instant, the next, nothing but a calm sea. He felt all emotions at once- love, hate, happiness, fear, bravery, sadness, all of them. As Jak opened his eyes after the attacks ceased, Gol gulped. There was a new determination in Jak's eyes, and when this force of will was combined with Jak's incredible might, Gol knew that it would be a struggle to win.

Jak suddenly dashed at Gol, his feet hovering about an inch off the ground. When he reached the end of the Silo, Jak simply leaned forward and his body rose into the air. He reached the Precursor Robot before Gol had a chance to do anything, and with one punch, Jak sent the face of the Precursor Robot reeling back, a small dent in it. Gol cried out and a large sphere of Dark Eco encircled the Robot. Daxter cried out, but Jak was no longer fearful of such trivial things as Dark Eco. As he conjured up his shield again, Jak kept his eyes focused on the Precursor Robot. He gathered his energy in his palm and opened his hand after aiming it at the face. The Light Eco smashed into the eyes of the Robot, damaging vital circuits and causing it to fall. Daxter whooped as the Precursor Robot fell to the ground, but Jak knew that his work was far from finished.

"You insolent little… I'll…" Gol roared as he flew from the Robot. Jak smirked: it looked Gol was about to suffer a minor stroke.

"Hey, where's the ugly hag?" Daxter asked and Gol's eyes widened as he looked at Daxter, apparently unable to hear his sister be referred to as such.

"She is fixing the Robot. She perused the mind of Tarea more than I did, so she knows more about it than I do. But now, YOU DIE!" He screamed as he unleashed a torrent of Dark Lightning at Jak. Jak extended his palm, and the Light Eco left his body to meet the attack. Gol's eyes bugged out when he saw Jak merely staving off his attack but doing nothing else. "Fight back!" Gol roared as he shot a beam of Dark Eco at Jak. Jak looked Gol right in the eye and the Dark Sage shivered as the eyes pierced his soul and showed him the promise of a thousand punishments for every sin that Gol had committed.

With a massive display of power, Jak streaked towards Gol, looking like little more than a comet of light. To his credit, Gol saw Jak coming and readied himself, but Gol was still thinking of Jak as how he had been before touching the purest Eco.

Jak pulled up at the last instant and shot a thin beam of Eco at Gol. Gol dodged the attack and began firing rapidly at Jak, hitting him with small Dark Eco pellets. Jak brought up his shield to show that they posed no threat. Jak once again flew towards Gol. He took a sloppy swipe at Gol's neck. Gol ducked the sloppy attack and punched Jak hard in the gut with his metal hand. Jak smiled as he grabbed the metal arm and punched Gol in the face. Gol went flying back and hit the wall of the Silo from Jak's strength. Gol blasted back at Jak, who did the same. As they met with a thunderous din, Jak showed that he was the better fighter now.

As they met, both elves slowed down. Jak hastily hit Gol with an uppercut, causing the elf's entire head to snap back. Gol groaned in pain as the Light Eco coating Jak's hand burned his Dark Eco infested skin. Jak moved so fast that he seemed to merely teleport. He quickly got behind Gol and punched the tyrant in the back of the skull, cracking said appendage and causing the old Sage to lean forward. He swung his foot and tripped the Sage, making Gol look as though he was lying down, before ramming his kneecap up into Gol's spine. He brought his elbow down and slammed it into Gol's stomach. Gol straightened himself out and punched Jak, but his attack blocked. As he blocked with one arm, Jak charged up an attack in the other and hit Gol with a ball of Light Eco.

Gol flew up and away from the power of the attack. He steadied himself again and shot over a hundred beams of Dark Eco, not caring if he killed himself by expending all his energy as long as Jak died with him. Jak once again began to move so quickly he seemed to teleport. He moved only slightly out of the way of each blast, but cried out when he was struck from behind.

Maia grinned in triumph as Gol joined her. She had managed to find enough of the old forearm to work with. Though the armor was gone, the hand still worked, meaning they had a big surprise for Jak later. For now, Maia settled for launching another massive blast of Yellow Eco at the stunned Channeler. Jak grunted in pain as he was hit by the attack and landed on the Silo. More of the bright, gelatinous Eco was being made, so Jak brought it all into himself, knowing he would need more power to defeat Gol. Jak then turned around and shot up to avoid another blast by the rifle. As Maia charged up a fourth blast, Jak dashed forward and surrounded his body with Light Eco, much like he did before with the Yellow Eco. Jak closed his eyes and braced himself as he flew into the muzzle of the rifle. He plowed through the attack and hit the generator and vat of Eco inside. A massive explosion lit the sky as the Yellow Eco Rifle exploded, sending Jak and Daxter out like a couple of ants. Jak looked at his friend to make sure that he was still safe. Admittedly, Daxter's skin was so pale that his fur seemed to be losing his color, but he looked relatively unharmed other than that.

Gol watched as Jak emerged from the fiery explosion unscathed and realized now just what the Channeler was fully capable of. He watched as Jak extended his hands and fire that seemed to be made of Light Eco streaked towards the Precursor Robot. Maia, on the other hand, having not touched Light Eco and having not felt its agony that the pure Eco inflicted upon those that were corrupted with Dark Eco, reacted normally. She overrode Gol and extended the right forearm. Another fan began spinning, but instead of drawing in the attack and trying to contain it, this fan had a different purpose. After bringing in the attack, Jak flew at the Precursor, only to be hit by a beam of what could only be described as ice. As his body froze, Jak glared at the Sages, and his body, now encased in ice, fell to the ground.

"You see, brother?" Maia said softly, as she could tell her brother was still shaken by his minor defeat. "He is just an elf. An elf that can be killed, nothing more," she said as a massive burst of light emanated from the forest and Jak flew back up, having freed himself of the icy prison. Gol cackled as he realized his sister was right. He brought the palms of both arms together, deciding it was time to use his most powerful weapon. A cannon emerged from the fused hands, one that was easily twenty feet in length. Jak watched as the weapon glowed.

"Fire!" Gol screamed as the weapon issued a blast of Red, Yellow, and Dark Eco while having jets on the back fire to compensate for the recoil. Jak's eyes widened as he realized that this attack could be what he needed to open the Silos. Unfortunately, the attack was too big to dodge, and too strong for his shield. Jak knew he had only one option left.

As the attack hit Jak, Jak closed his eyes and used another power that he had gained ever since using the Light Eco. Instead of moving so fast that he appeared to teleport, Jak actually vanished into thin air, only to reappear above the massive weapon. Jak opened his hand and sent a scythe of Light Eco at the cannon. The attack went right through the metal and sheared the cannon off, allowing gravity to take over and bring it to the ground.

Daxter whooped in glee as Jak destroyed the massive weapon and flew back to check on the Silos, as well as get more Light Eco. Jak realized that the Silos were nearly open and grinned.

Gol, though in shock, realized that he could not let this loss go to Jak's head. The Channeler needed to be killed. Almost frantically, Gol leveled his right arm at Jak and shot two Yellow and Red Eco balls at the light infused Channeler. Jak used his armor to deflect one of the blasts back towards the face before spinning counterclockwise and hitting the second with his foot like a soccer ball. This second ball went whizzing back and struck the glass ball that was fixed in the Red and Yellow Eco Launcher. Normally, such an attack would be nothing to worry about. The same attack, however, traveling about ten times faster than it normally did, posed a threat. Jak watched as the face of the Robot snapped back before unleashing more fire upon the right arm. The Light Eco spread and covered the apparatus in seconds. The entire right arm fizzed and sparks, at least until the Light Eco seeped under the armor plating and touched the wires.

As the weapon exploded, sending shrapnel everywhere, Jak thought with grim pleasure that this time, he had so thoroughly destroyed the weapon that it would not be able to be salvaged. Though it hurt him slightly to destroy what the Ancients had constructed, Jak was comforted by the thought that he was also destroying things that the Precursors had never intended to come into existence.

Gol decided to throw another new gadget at Jak, and the eight Dark Eco turrets that were on the chest flew off the Robot and combined, their insides sticking to one another. Jak watched as the device got closer before suddenly shooting Dark Eco out in every direction. For Jak, it was a simple matter to avoid the hits and dodge the beams. As it got closer, the device glowed and detonated, sending a large blast of Dark Eco out. The Dark Eco did nothing to Jak, but the Channeler was thrown back by the force of the attack. He looked at the Precursor Robot, now completely stripped of all of the gadgets Gol had placed on it.

All but one.

Gol's eye twitched as he activated the final weapon system on his Precursor Robot. The armor on the robot instantly flew off, turned upside down, and came back on. Jak saw that the panels glowed with Blue Eco and he realized that Gol wanted to fight him in the Precursor Robot as though they were two elves.

Jak dodged a punch thrown by Gol and landed on the arm. He ran up the length of the appendage, leaving a streak of Light Eco fire behind him. Gol shook the arm in pain and Jak leapt up and landed on the shoulder. As he plunged an Eco Blade made of Light Eco into the shoulder, Gol once again hissed in pain. He slapped the shoulder, achieving nothing except leaving a dent and allowing Jak to sever the tip of on of the fingers off. Jak's body glowed in the darkness, causing him to look like a being sent from above. Unfortunately, it also had the effect of allowing Gol to see him easily. Jak gasped as Gol slapped him with a giant hand.

Jak's body hit the Silo so hard that he thought he may have dented it. As Jak climbed to the top of the Silo, e felt the Light Eco repairing his body and healing his wounds. He gathered more power for his task and flew back at Gol, surrounding himself with a more fortified shield. Jak slammed his body into the Robot, causing it to go back. As it reeled, Jak flew down and summoned a Light Eco Blade that was well over seven feet long. He jammed it into the leg of the Robot as he flew, destroying the Blue Eco Panels that adorned the leg. When he was done, the leg looked as it did before, but Jak knew that it could no longer move as fast, and therefore was no longer an asset to Gol.

As Gol roared, Jak flew up and summoned a shield again as Gol clapped his hands together. The hands were unable to hit Jak, as the shield stopped them, but Gol foolishly continued to try. Jak kept his shield up as he shot a beam of Light Eco at one of the biceps of the Precursor Robot, taking out more of the Blue Eco Panels. Gol grabbed the arm in pain and Jak gathered almost all of his remaining Light Eco. He sent a massive scythe of Light Eco and managed to sever the entire robot in half at the waist. The legs fell to the ground, but emergency boosters came online and kept the Precursor Robot steady.

Jak was slapped back to the Silo, and , since it was already almost completely open, hit the inner wall. He rose up and recharged his powers, noticing that Gol and Maia were not pursuing him, as though they were afraid of him. This time, Jak stayed in the glob of Light Eco and gathered all his powers for his final attack.

"For Sandover," Jak thought as he charged his energy. "For Rock Village, for Volcanic Crater, for Snowy Mountain Island, for Pampas Islet, for Wasteland Metropolis, for The City of The Sky," he said to himself, remembering all that Gol had done, all the hurt and pain that he had inflicted. "For all the people he's hurt, for Keira, and most importantly," Jak thought remembered the only one that had never abandoned him, the only one that had come with him no matter the danger, his best friend, "FOR DAXTER!" his mind screamed as he let forth a massive attack. Gol hastily erected a Dark Eco shield, but Jak's attack plowed right through the shield and hit the robot.

A huge explosion lit the land as the head of the Precursor Robot shout off the detonating body. Through a cruel twist of fate, perhaps, the head was heading right for the nearly open Silo. Jak looked up and flew hastily out of the way. He watched as the head hit the top of the Silo, causing a gong like sound to reverberate throughout the land. The Silo creaked open all the way, and Gol suddenly remembered what he had read in Jak's mind months ago when he had awoken in Sandover.

"NOOO!" Gol screamed, unable to accept what was happening as the head of the Precursor Robot began to fall into the Silo, which had activated. The ground began to shake again as the clouds parted, waiting for the Dark Eco to leave the sun and go back to where it had been sealed off. "No, this cannot be!" Gol shrieked as he fell into the Silo. "I AM INVINCIBLE!" was the last thing Jak heard from him as the Dark Eco returned, filling the Silo to the brim and slamming shot.

Jak landed on the top of the Silo, his power waning. As he landed, the towers suddenly went dark and stopped creating Light Eco.

"No!" Daxter cried as he watched his last chance to be returned to an elf vanish. Jak focused his powers, but he realized that his powers were gone. He had used up all his Light Eco on the last attack, destroying Daxter's one hope.

Daxter began sobbing on Jak's shoulder. Jak patted his friend on the back, allowing him to let it out. It was to be expected. Daxter's only hope had been to return to an elf, and after sticking with Jak all this time, his one wish was denied.

"Why?" Daxter sobbed for nearly a minute. Jak continued to console his friend, knowing that there was nothing he could really do. "Well, let's get going," Daxter said after he was done crying. Jak looked at his friend curiously: he had only cried for about five minutes. "You know me Jak- I ain't the one to just mope around, not when there are chicks to hit on. Besides, they like more in this form anyway. And don't forget, I _am_ an animal," Daxter said with a feral but humorous grin. Jak chuckled as they stepped on a platform that began to take them back.

Back, Jak thought. Back to his friends, his comrades, the Sages, his home, and most importantly…

Back to Keira, Jak thought as he spotted her waiting on the edge of the Silo for him. Jak know that Keira would never leave him, and he couldn't wait to hold her in his arms once more.

After all, it had been ages since they had had a quiet moment to themselves. It felt like forever since the last time they had held each other, and not only was Keira looking eager to see him, she also looked beautiful.

"In fact," Jak thought as he stood on the moving platform, "she almost looks like something out of a dream…"

* * *

First of all, thanks to everyone that reviewed. I had eight reviewers for the past two chapters. You all were very inspiring and extremely helpful. I would like to thank Red Mage 04 for the giant cannon Gol used when he put the hands together. I would also like to thank Keeroshu for giving me the idea that Gol could use what he has in different ways, which I think I managed decently. In addition, thanks go out to Amathist Fwirrel for the blinding light in the left eye, and the tentacles/wires on the back of the Precursor Robot, but not the ones that I used off of the one in Jak 3. For those of you who caught it, I hoped you liked the little bit of irony I placed in here. For those that didn't, go re-read the part where Jak is about to be blown away by the Red and Yellow Eco Launcher. I hope Red Mage 04, at least, caught Gol breaking one of the biggest rules ever. I hope everyone caught the emphasis I put on the end, particularly the last word, since dreams and visions played a fair part in the story, and will continue to in Renegade. Please let me know how the fight was, as I do hope I made it realistic. I hope you all enjoyed it, as I will be gone for a week. Expect another chapter today (hopefully) and around the twenty third. If anyone sends me an email, do not expect me to answer until the eighteenth at the earliest. Until then, sayonara!

Weird how the rule fits this chapter's theme.

* * *

URGENT NOTICE!

Yes, I know, two in two weeks. There will be only one more fight scene after this, and I am in desperate need for new Eco powers. Anything, ANYTHING will be appreciated. I want this last fight scene to be the greatest, and I will need a little (okay, a lot) of help to pull it off. Basically, there will be a massive fight between all the Channelers, and I would like a few suggestions on new Green, Yellow, Red, and Blue Eco attacks. If you can think of something, terrific. If not, then thanks for at least reading this sad excuse of a story.

* * *

Quote of the week- Me

Rule #19 of Life: Change is inevitable.


	51. Celebrations and Discoveries

To those who reviewed: (To be honest, I didn't think I would need this section.)

Amathist Fwirrel- Damn that was fast. I didn't think anyone would review before I got the next chapter up, which will hopefully be around the realm of 2:00 A.M. Yes, tentacles are indeed fun. I like 'em. Hm, I like the mirage/afterimage you thought of, especially since one of the Channelers (take a guess who) will find out he/she is an Ascended Channeler. It's not Jak. Um, Goramia is completely lost on me, so I regret to inform you I have no idea what you're talking about. Hypnotism is a good idea, but I think I'll make it a par of the character, not a power. As for using Green Eco offensively, I don't think the way you thought of will work (it's based on healing, not harming) but it did help me think of another way to use it. Thanks very much for your help, it was appreciated.

Disclaimer- I own nothing, save what my insane shattered mind has cooked up.

* * *

Celebrations and Discoveries

"Jak!" Keira cried as her hero (figuratively and literally) approached. He grinned wildly as he stepped off the platform. Keira threw herself at him and grabbed him into a hug. "You did it!" she said as Jak looked down at her. In the heat of the moment, Jak picked her up by her waist and spun her in a circle before putting her down and smiling.

"Well, it looks as if I may have been too hard on you, boys! You DO have what it takes to be heroes!" Samos said, a rare grin on his visage. He looked with pride at the Channeler. Jak felt suddenly bashful and shy under Samos' praise, seeing as how he got it so rarely. Keira also looked at the elf with pride and love. Suddenly, she thought of something and realized that with no Light Eco…

"Daxter… now we can't change you back," she said sympathetically. Daxter looked up at her with a sad look on his face. "Aw, maybe he's not so bad," Keira thought as she picked Daxter up and gave him a sympathetic hug.

"Don't worry about me, baby! You know what they say: Big things come in small packages!" he said as his paws found a certain part of her body and squeezed. Keira smacked the rodent out of her chest and straight into Samos, who was more than a mite angry about the rat groping his daughter. A dull thunk split the air, and Jak caught his friend, who had been on a one-way trip over the edge of the top of Gol's Citadel.

"You'd think by now he would've learned," Jak thought as he shook his head. He looked up as an extremely excitable voice addressed him.

"Jak, you encompass a staggering endowment for Channeling Eco! Samos, you may have been precise about this one, after all!" Jak and Daxter looked at each other: when had Samos ever bragged about Jak? Usually the Sage was the first one to put Jak down and point out his mistakes. Keira, too, pondered what her father could have meant. She opened her mouth to ask but was interrupted.

"And Keira," Santar said in his deep voice, "without your help and ingenuity none of this would have been possible. Heh heh heh... Perhaps we've found a new sage now that Gol and Maia are lost." Keira blushed crimson at these words and Jak grinned: he loved the way Keira blushed. It just made her seem so more adorable.

"Yes, Gol and Maia…" Alecis said as she stared at the Silo.

"The Dark Eco probably destroyed them," Tarea said as she too, gazed out at the sealed tower.

"Probably…" Potentia muttered, not sure if Gol and Maia would be killed by something that they seemed so in tune with.

"Aaaah, who cares! Bring 'em on, we can take 'em, right Jak?" Daxter said as he began shadowboxing opponents. When a nod from his friend did not come, Daxter stopped and looked around. "I said 'Right, Jak?'." He said loudly. Daxter looked around and saw Jak and Keira in the shadow of a colossal door, firmly locked at the lips.

Keira smiled as Jak pulled her closer to him, eager to eliminate any space between their two heated bodies. Jak's hands strayed up and down her back as Keira tangled her fingers in Jak's hair. Suddenly, a large, warm, fuzzy object forced itself between them. "Whoa! Put it on ice, big guy," Daxter said as he positioned himself on Jak's shoulder once more. Keira seriously considered strangling the rat, but settled for a death glare and walking away. Jak looked at her, a bit afraid to go to her and glared at Daxter. "What?" the rodent asked innocently. Jak sighed and shook his head- some things never changed.

" Holy Yakow! What would that be?" Samos asked as he walked up to the door, having just noticed it. He had been watching Jak, and had just finished a deep discussion with the Sages. Keira turned around and analyzed the door for the first time.

"Wow! It's an ancient Precursor door! It looks like it will only open if we fill all one hundred holes with Power Cells!" she said as she examined it. Jak felt a pouch on his belt quiver and as he opened it, all the Power Cells he had collected on his journey nearly a year ago flew out of his bag and positioned themselves in the holes. The door trembled for a second before unlocking and opening.

"Wow…" Keira said as she saw what lay inside.

"It's… beautiful," Daxter said softly, and agreed with his friend. A gigantic ring made of Precursor metal was in the door, along with parts to a vehicle that Jak was sure was connected with the ring. He groaned and clutched his head with one hand as a wave of nausea swept over him…

* * *

"We'll put it here…" a gruff young voice said.

"When will it be opened?" a softer voice that sounded a bit like a snake asked.

"When he is ready…"

* * *

"What was that?" Jak thought as he grabbed his head. He shook it off and watched as Keira examined the pieces.

"Well, this looks like a Rift Ring and a Rift Rider," Tarea said at last as she joined Keira in inspecting the equipment.

"No way!" Potentia said as his jaw dropped.

"A Rift Rider? What's that?" Keira asked. Alecis cleared her throat.

"It is a powerful artifact that is only a legend. According to scrolls I've read, the Ring Rift, when properly made, will open up another portal."

"To where?" Daxter asked, his eyes wide.

"Other places, other planets, perhaps even other dimensions. No one knows," Alecis said.

"Sounds like fun," Keira said as she looked over the pieces. "If we move it to my lab, I might be able to put it back together."

Suddenly, a huge rumbling got everyone's attention. The Dark Eco Silo rumbled as it sank beneath the ground and disappeared from view.

"Well, I didn't know that would happen," Samos said as they began moving the pieces through the Warp Gate back to Sandover Village. It was hard work, as the pieces were much heavier than they looked. After about an hour, the entire thing was moved, and Jak, Daxter, Keira, and the Sages took the elevator down. As they exited, Jak saw something that he had never expected to see.

Elves and Lurkers were working together to put the Econite around the weak points Gordy had identified. When all the fuses were set, everyone backed away. Each of the Sages shot a beam of Eco into the charges, causing Gol's Citadel, a building that for the past year stood for fear and evil, crumbled away into nothingness. As the building collapsed, Jak looked with satisfaction at the work that he and his friends had done. They had freed the land, and toppled a tyrant. As they walked away, Jak felt another tremor beginning. He turned around and saw a building beginning to rise up out of the ground.

"By the Precursors! That's a Precursorian Arena!" Alecis said, her voice filled with excitement. "That is where the Precursors themselves fought to see which one was the strongest," she explained.

"Hey, I have an idea!" Daxter suddenly shouted. "Why don't the Channelers have a tournament there?" Everyone looked at Daxter before saying that they thought it was a terrific idea.

"We could hold it in one month, for we still have work to do," Zeorro said as he reminded them that they had to fix the towns, find a replacement for Gol on the Sages' Council and establish peace with the Lurkers, who no longer wanted to fight the elves. Jak nodded and everyone began to get to work at the monstrous tasks still ahead of them.

* * *

The next month was fairly uneventful, at least Jak thought so. Hatu had been placed on the Sages' Council because he represented the Lurkers as well as a Channeler. Lurkers were now helping the elves, and trust had finally been established. Schools now taught both languages, and Jak could see a golden age for his race and the Lurkers on the horizon. The towns had been rebuilt, and The City of The Sky had been fixed and once again hovered above the planet about a mile or so.

Jak, however, was also busy helping Keira assemble the Rift Ring and the Rift Rider. They had completed the Ring and were going to begin working on the Rider when the tournament was over. Everyone seemed excited about the dawning event, since it would mark the closing of a dark age and the emerging into a brighter one. Keira noticed, however, that Cara seemed moody and gloomy.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked, not wanting to upset the girl. "You have a guy now you know," Keira said jokingly, as Cara had been lonely until she and Retep had gotten together. They were not the only ones either- Liz and Ferrid had hit it off, as well as Harrison and Emma, the most unlikely pair ever. Andrew had proposed to Tiffany just last week, and the wedding was set to take place in three months.

"It's just, I wish I could go home," Cara said softly. Keira whistled softly: she had been expecting this.

"Then why don't you go back and take the throne after the tournament?"

"I've been banished," Cara reminded her.

"And Nicolae is still abusing his power. You must go back there," Keira said. "You're the only one with the power to stop him, and he is abusing _your_ power."

"I know. I have to, to make my mother proud," Cara said softly.

"No. You have to because it's what you're meant to do," Keira said. Cara suddenly brightened up and smiled.

"Your right. I'll take Retep there and show him around."

"And what about me?" Veston asked.

"Oh, you don't have to come. It's been too long since we worked."

"I don't care. Captain, I swore to serve you, and I once again ask you take me along as your servant," Veston said as he knelt in front of Cara and bowed. "My Queen," he added.

"Veston…" Cara said, too filled with emotion to say anything more. "I'd rather you come along with me… as a friend." Veston looked up and smiled, tears in his eyes.

"As friends…" he said.

* * *

All across the land, people gathered where Gol's Citadel had once stood. They were excited, and with good reason. Most of them had never seen the Channelers release their awesome powers except during a fight. Even the Lurkers were coming, as they wanted to see what these deadly elves were capable of without having to risk dying.

Jak looked at the arena. It was fifty feet in diameter, with twelve more feet of just dirt between it and the stands. Three feet of a clear glass separated the crowds from the fight, but they had been tested. The glass appeared to simply absorb the Eco. There were also numerous charging facilities, so running out of Eco was never a problem.

"People from various villages," Hatu said as the event began. "One month ago, a tyrant was overthrown. Now, we enjoy peace and prosperity like never before! And to celebrate, it is my great pleasure to welcome each and every one of you to the first Clash of the Channelers!" Jak smiled at the title. He was also glad that Hatu got to be the commentator. It was a token of goodwill form the elves, that the only Lurker on the Sages' Council would commentate the first Clash of the Channelers.

Jak walked to his personal room and waited for his name to be called. The style of the tournament was very odd to him. First, four random names were called. Those four would enter the arena and fight until one remained standing. They had agreed that non-lethal attacks were the only ones allowed. If there were any injuries, the person responsible would be disqualified and banned from society. When four matches had been fought, the remaining four would fight one opponent. The winner of each of those two fights would fight each other and the winner of _that_ would be the champion.

"Hey Jak," Keira said as she walked in. Jak looked up at her, smiling. He was nervous, but excited, and he was also pleased that Keira had come to see him before he fought. "Good luck," she said as she kissed him on the cheek. Jak looked up at her and stuck out his bottom lip, pouting. Keira laughed at the sometimes childishness behavior of her boyfriend. "You'll get more than that later," she said with a playful wink. Jak grinned. "How much more… depends on how well you do," Keira said with a giggle as she walked outside. Jak sighed and leaned back on the chair, nearly falling out when he heard his name announced. As he walked towards the gate that he would enter though, Jak looked at his Eco Belt- one of the many that Keira and Retep had cranked out in the last month. He made sure that he had full Eco, and grinned as his gate rose.

Jak stepped into the light and prepared for the fight of his life as the Clash of the Channelers, the first tournament between heroes, heroines, and friends, began…

* * *

Um, not much to say, you read it last chapter. I know, only Channelers paired with Channelers, I know. I don't know why I did that, it just seemed to fall into place. Anyway, sorry that this is so short, and I'm sorry I couldn't put more detail into it. Hopefully, I'll make the tourney worth reading, so wish me luck.

* * *

Quote of the week- Me

Rule #20 of Life: If you have to play a sport and get nothing but strikes, play bowling.


	52. Clash of the Channelers

To those who reviewed:

The-Dark-Keyblade- Thanks very much for the compliment, and I'm amazed you put up with such a mediocre story for so long. Unfortunately, I will have Jak get caught (after a while), and he will gain a Dark Eco form. But, I am going to have his Dark side transform after a while, and it won't be a mindless killing machine. Also, Jak won't be alone in prison.

GoodMorningBeautiful2005- Thanks. I hope that this last chapter goes the way I want it to, especially since my fight scenes aren't exactly the best. As to when Renegade will come out, I had a weird idea that is refusing to go away, so I might be posting two stories at once. I'll also have two, possibly three, jobs over the summer, and I'll be training hard, so it will be difficult for me to keep writing.

Silver-WindScar- I thought the rule was fitting, and I inserted the whole, "I am invincible" thing for two reasons. One, I hope Red Mage 04 notices it, and two, its something that an evil overlord list tells me not to do. Glad you didn't think the chapter was short, and I hope to get the next chapter up by Thursday or Friday. As to the rules of the tournament, yes, Jak can shatter bones with his strikes. That doesn't mean he will. It's simply a matter of pulling his punches and not hitting anything lethal. Just because Jak can kill a lot of people with his attacks doesn't mean he will. Remember when he trained Benedict? Thank you for thinking so highly of me, and I hope that this chapter does not disappoint.

Keeroshu- Glad you're back, and glad that you continue to read the bad writings I continually spew out. I completely agree with you- it can't be all dark and gloomy. There has to be a minimum of 5 lightheartedness. As to Renegade, I don't know when that will start. I've had an idea for a Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time fanfiction for about three months now, and I can't decide whether to write it or not. If I do, then Renegade will be posted when I post that book, meaning I'd update only twice a month at best. And that's with training, two jobs, and college coming up soon. I'll find a way, hopefully. Wish me luck.

CrazyOttsel- I don't mind that you haven't reviewed in a while- the point is you came back and reviewed later. Glad you liked it and I hope I can manage to continue to please.

Red Mage 04- Er, no idea what your talking about in regard to what my chapter reminded you of. But I'm glad you liked it, and it looks like no more screw ups on Gol's behalf. Or will there? I did see the copy technique that a Light Eco user can have, but since Jak's the only one who can use Light Eco, and no one will be using Dark for obvious reasons, I was hoping to get some color Ecos. But I guess I'll have to make do with what I can think of. Thanks for reading, and you'll see the power you gave me used. Ah, a man after my own heart. Bowling with bumpers and using them for fun is one of my many weird things I do to entertain myself. Actually, I only got the idea to have a tournament with the Channelers after seeing your arena with Phoenix and Tarath, so I thank you for that. Speaking of which, I hope to see an update soon.

Disclaimer- I own nothing, save what my insane shattered mind has cooked up.

* * *

Clash of the Channelers

"And now, let me go over all the rules one last time before this tournament gets underway!" Hatu said into the microphone as Jak and three others entered the ring. Jak rolled his eyes and looked up towards the sky, not wanting to listen to the rules for a fifth time. "There is no death in this tournament, unless you want to be exiled from civilization for all time. Surrendering is perfectly acceptable, though I do not personally recommend it unless you know there is no way to win. If you must fight someone and they refuse to give up, do your best to incapacitate, and _only incapacitate_, them. Now that that is over with, let's introduce the competitors!" Hatu said loudly, to an enthusiastic roar of applause.

"Hailing from the village of Pampas Islet, led by Tarea, Margaret Riddle!" At this, Margaret's face appeared on a giant screen hanging from the ceiling as she smiled feebly and waved to the crowd. "And, also hailing from the fair island, Richard Bennett!" Jak watched the screen as Margaret's face vanished, replaced by that of his teacher's. "And, the one we all knew as the Bane of Lurkers, hailing from Sandover Village, the adoptive son of the Green Sage Samos, Jak Hagia!" A roar of applause filled the stadium at Jak's name as he smiled bashfully and smiled. "And, from Rock Village, the daughter of Zeorro, Sage of Blue Eco, Elizabeth Cyan!" Another loud roar filled the stadium, though not as loud as Jak's. "So now, let the match… begin!"

Richard leapt into the air again and deflected the attacks Jak sent at him with his bare hands. Jak dodged forward and rolled to avoid getting hit by his own attacks. Richard landed in front of Margaret, using Red Eco to send a shockwave through the ground strong enough to knock her off her feet. As her head hit the ground, Margaret's vision blurred and Richard kicked her in the stomach so that she went into the air three feet. As she came up, Richard punched her in the jaw, knocking her out. He then summoned two Eco Blades and turned around to face Jak, who had summoned an Eco Blade of his own, but making his only strong enough so that it would pass through the body and hurt rather than hack a limb off. Richard ran at Jak and swiped at his student with all his speed. Jak, however, was much faster than his teacher, as their training sessions had proved, and it was easy enough to get behind his instructor and kick him in the back. Richard stumbled forward and turned around, pointing his Eco Blades straight forward. Two beams shot forth and nailed Jak in the chest. As Jak picked himself up, Liz did too, having stayed down only o regain her strength.

Richard ran at Jak, only to be struck from behind. Liz landed on Richard and began pumping him full of Yellow Eco. As the small blasts continued, Jak ran at Liz and spun around in the air. His foot struck her in the chest and knocked her off balance. Liz staggered back and growled at Jak as he punched her in the stomach. Liz grabbed Jak into a hug and blasted him away with Red Eco. Jak went flying across the stage and landed, his body steaming slightly. As Liz ran at Jak, a wall of Yellow Eco suddenly surrounded the two of them. Both Channelers looked around and stopped fighting. The cylinder tightened and caused their bodies to lift up with the sheer amount of power that they absorbed.

Richard stood up, rather shakily, and saw Liz getting up. He dashed over to her and picked her up with one hand from behind. He pinched a nerve in her neck to make her body go limp, but not pass out. He let go of her and punched her in the back of the head, causing her brain to hit the front of her skull, effectively knocking her out for only a few minutes. Richard then turned back to the fight at hand, knowing that he had five minutes at most to finish this round and win the tournament. Jak ran forward and tackled his teacher from behind. Richard hit his chin on the ground and was dazed. Not stopping, Jak scrambled to his feet and ran at Margaret. Margaret decided for a different approach and coated her hands in fire. Jak ran at her and attempted to trip her by sliding. Margaret lifted her right foot above her head and brought it down on Jak's stomach. She then backed up a foot or two and allowed him to get back up on his feet.

As Jak ran forward, Margaret struck him three times in the chest with her hands. Jak dodged past the fourth blow and got behind her. He grabbed her shirt and pun around three times to build up momentum. As he released her, Margaret stuck out her hand and caught herself so she could straighten up before going back to the fight. She ran at Jak, her eyes and hands ablaze. As she got close to Jak, Margaret struck the ground and caused Jak to wobble as a shockwave went through the ground. As Jak stumbled, Margaret rose up and hit him in the back with a spinning back kick. As she leapt back, Jak ran forward and leapt at her kicking her in the chest and causing her to go down. Margaret landed on her feet and dashed at Jak as she lit her whole body on fire. Jak dodged the attack by jumping into the air and kicking her In the back of the head. Margaret stumbled and Jak landed before running at her.

Margaret ducked under a punch and began hammering Jak's chest. Jak stumbled back from the assault and leaned back. His foot hit Margaret in the chest and knocked her down. Jak summoned a Yellow Eco Blade and held it up to Margaret's face. Just as she opened her mouth to surrender, Liz woke up and blasted Jak off his feet. Jak went down, his body stunned once more. Richard got to his feet and looked around. Before he could react, Margaret launched a blast of Yellow Eco at him. At the same time, Liz launched a beam of Red Eco. Though the two attacks hit each other and weakened the overall effect, it was still enough to knock Richard out once more. Liz and Margaret looked at each other and powered their bodies up: Margaret using fire and Liz using electricity.

Liz grabbed Margaret as the Amplifying Channeler ran at her before throwing her straight up into the air. As Margaret went up, Liz shocked her with Yellow Eco Lightning. Margaret landed on her feet and ran at Liz, only to be blown back by a powerful electric attack. As she collected herself, Margaret jumped over a large attack and hit Liz with a large blast of flames. Liz bowled over, closing her eyes from the heat. As she opened her eyes, Liz saw Margaret running at her and tried to stop her with a blast of Yellow Eco. Margaret went right through the attack and tackled Liz before blasting herself off with Yellow Eco.

Liz stood up shakily, her body steaming and her clothes ripped and torn. Margaret looked no better, with smudges and soot covering her exposed skin. Despite their bodies' battered appearances, both Channelers were having the time of their lives and resumed their battle with jubilation. Liz rammed into Margaret and caused the girl to go stumbling back. Margaret picked herself up off the floor with lightning speed and kicked Liz in the shins. Liz hopped on one leg, grabbing her shin and let forth a large blast of electricity to shield herself. Margaret stumbled back and Jak caught her, having finally awoken. He knocked her out and saw with mild surprise Richard do the same to Liz.

Richard and Jak both charged each other, understanding that they were the last two competitors. Jak dodged a powerful blow, relying on his youthful speed to overcome Richard's strength and experience. Richard dashed forward, but Jak proved to be very quick, dodging behind the dash almost too quickly to be seen. As Richard stumbled on a loose tile, Jak was already running forward and struck Richard in the back to cause him to hit the ground. Richard got his body up and faced Jak, knowing that there was a good chance he would lose this match, since his pupil had gotten much better than the last time.

Still, Jak would have to struggle to win, as Richard proved by striking Jak in the chest with a few good punches. The final one lifted Jak off his feet, and he landed properly a few feet back. Both contenders leapt into the air and kicked at the same time. Jak's hit Richard in the chest, while Richard's hit Jak in the mouth. Jak landed hard on the ground and rubbed his jaw, spitting out a small amount of blood. He back flipped off the ground as Richard ran at him and kicked Richard in the face, breaking his nose. Richard's eyes teared up as Jak's foot hit him, and Jak saw the perfect moment to strike and end the fight. He grabbed Richard and threw him up into the air, hitting him with a few bolts of Eco. As Richard came sailing down, Jak slammed him down into the ground, and then picked him up again and threw him about seven feet away. Richard, despite the heavy beating he had taken, landed on his feet and kicked a surprised Jak as the Channeler rushed in.

Jak staggered back and threw a multitude of small, needle sized blasts at Richard. The elderly elf leapt ten feet in the air and coated his body with fire as he streaked down. Jak grunted as Richard kicked him in the chest, but he stayed awake. Jak ran forward again and struck at Richard, but his attack was blocked, and Richard punched at Jak from behind. Jak used his remaining Blue Eco to phase through the attack and got behind Richard. He picked his teacher up and threw him down on the ground again. Richard jumped up and Jak leapt with him, striking his teacher and sending him down to the ground, where Richard skidded for a few feet before getting up again.

Richard dashed forward and Jak used his Yellow Eco attack again. Richard broke right through the attack and hit Jak right in the chin, launching the young elf into the air. Jak landed on the ground next to Margaret and dodged a fire blast. Richard dashed forward again, but this time Jak dodged the attack and leapt over it. Richard grabbed Jak in the air and slammed him down into the ground. Jak shot a blast of Yellow Eco straight up and hit Richard in the chest.

Richard went sailing down and started to get up, but stopped. Jak had let loose several blasts of Yellow Eco that hovered inches above him. Richard closed his eyes and smiled.

"You win Jak!" Richard said softly. "You are my student no more." Jak blinked in astonishment as the crowd cheered for him. The other three Channelers were carted off to a healing lab. Though none of them had been seriously injured, all of them had quite a few bumps and bruises. Jak smiled at the crowd shyly before going back to his own room, happy he had won the first round. He wondered who else would win the next three rounds, and which of the three victors he would face.

Jak sat down in his room a few minutes later and looked around. He saw a closet and opened it. Inside was an assortment of clothes, some very concealing. Jak grinned as he decided to sneak into the audience and watch the rest if the match without anyone knowing. He pulled on a raincoat along with a dark sweat suit and boots. Jak looked at himself in the mirror and then took the sweat suit off: it was too hot. May had just begun a couple of days ago, and even up north, it was getting warmer. He looked at himself again, and then, satisfied that no one would recognize him, walked out into the crowd.

He heard people discussing the last match and grinned. If anyone asked him his opinion, he would simply mime a sore throat. There had been an epidemic last week, so no one would really doubt his story or dwell too long on it. Jak watched as the next four people- he couldn't make out who from this distance- got into seats and watched them charge their Blue, Red and Yellow Eco Boxes. The Eco Packs that Tarea had given Jak were going in a museum that was being planned, as well as a training ground for Channelers so that when they were discovered, they could be trained and helped. No longer was being a Channeler a cause for shame. Jak remembered, before Samos helped him with the villagers, how he had been picked on because he was different. Gone was the prejudice against his kind. Gone too, was almost any animosity between the elves and the Lurkers. Once Gol had gone, it seemed that they were a remarkably intelligent race that was sharing their technology with the elves in return for equality and agricultural advances. His friends were to become a law enforcement squad, and Cara and Veston were going to go back home and try to set up a trading route with the rest of the continent. Jak smiled as Hatu once again began reading the rules: it looked as though a golden age was coming.

"And now, from the foreign island of Brigands' Bastion, Princess and soon to be Queen, Cara Tarakava and her trusted advisor and leader of the fleet, Veston Droit!" The applause was merely polite, as neither knew Cara or Veston personally, but neither elf was bothered by this. "Also in this match are Andrew Gause and Tiffany Buffamonte, both of Volcanic Crater!" The roar of applause for them was tumultuous at the section where the elves from Volcanic Crater were sitting. "And now, let the second elimination round of the Clash of the Channelers begin!"

Veston dodged a beam that Tiffany had fired as soon as the bell had rang and grabbed her by the shirt. He tossed her from him and spun her so that she was facing away from him as she stumbled. As she staggered forward, Tiffany shot a small blast at Cara. As Veston rushed past Tiffany, tripping her as he did so, Cara reflected the Eco attack back at him and blasted him back. Tiffany got back up and tossed Veston into the air as he summoned a Red Eco Blade. Andrew grabbed Cara and threw her up as well. They knew that while this would normally be dangerous, the arena floor somehow sensed bodies coming down and softened so that the impact would not be severe enough to break a bone or cause hemorrhaging. Cara hit Veston while he was in the air and landed just in time to be punched in the gut by Andrew with a Yellow Eco covered fist. Cara went back down and picked herself up again.

Veston ran at Cara and swiped at her with his Eco Blade. She quickly dodged it and threw him right into Tiffany, who had just blasted Andrew back. Both Channelers stumbled, and Cara watched and waited for an attack to come her way so she could redirect it. Tiffany turned around and tossed Veston into the air by using a Blue Eco beam. She then began focusing her powers o use upon Andrew, knowing that she would have to take Cara down some other way. As he went down, Veston hit Tiffany with his Eco Blade and disrupted her concentration. As Tiffany cursed, Andrew threw a punch at Cara that was parried. Cara used the momentum of his attack to send him over her shoulder and into the ground.

Andrew flipped as he hit the ground and landed on his feet before he dashed forward and hit Veston with an uppercut. Cara bent her knees and spun on the spot, tripping up Andrew, who fell on the ground. Andrew coated his body in Yellow Eco so that none would attack him while he was defenseless. Veston felt his jaw as he blocked a blow from Tiffany and kicked her in the stomach. As she took a step back, Tiffany blasted Veston high in the air with a Yellow Eco beam. Veston flipped around in the air, landed on both feet, and splayed them out as he brought a hand down as well to spread the energy of his impact as far out as he could. Tiffany sent Cara flying back with a surprise attack and then lurched forward- Veston had rammed her in the back with his shoulder.

Cara bounced off the ground and got up, looking at the battle still raging as she did so. Andrew dashed forward and coated his body with Yellow Eco as he attacked Tiffany. She went reeling back as he hit her again and again. Andrew pulled his punches, since he did not want to seriously injure anyone. Every punch in itself was harmless, only when a number of them were dealt did one begin to feel pain. As Tiffany took a step back, Veston tripped her right before he jumped forward and kicked Andrew in the stomach, sending him back and lifting him off the ground an inch or two. Veston sent two streams of fire at Andrew and Tiffany, preventing them from getting up. Just as both were about to concede defeat, Cara diverted the energy back to herself and compressed it.

Veston grimaced as a small ball of Red Eco hit him in the stomach and exploded. The same thing happened to Andrew and Tiffany, since they had forgotten about Cara for a few minutes and that mistake had cost them dearly. Andrew grunted as he got up again and looked at his arm. He flexed it a few times and decided that there was nothing seriously wrong with it- he had landed on it and it throbbed slightly as he stood up. Cara stood above Tiffany and prepared to knock the Channeler out and disqualify her when Veston slashed her in the back. Tiffany gathered her energy quickly and let a blast of energy similar to the one Cara had just used to blow both pirates off their feet.

Cara as hit in the back by Andrew as she landed on the ground and her progress backward stopped, only to start up again when Tiffany hit her in the chest with another Eco grenade. Veston grabbed Andrew and dragged him backwards. Andrew lost his balance and fell as Veston ducked under Cara's body and charged forward, hoping to come out of the smoke and surprise Tiffany. Unfortunately, Tiffany had suspected that Veston would attempt something like this and was more than capable of hitting him in the chest before sending a blast of Eco at him and Andrew that blew both of them off their feet.

As Tiffany looked at her three felled foes, she thought that she had won the fight. Unfortunately, she had forgotten that all three elves possessed determination just as strong as hers, and they all got up. Smoking, bruised and battered they looked, but they all got up and showed Tiffany that if she wanted to win the tournament, she would have to work harder for it. Cara cracked her neck and Andrew swung at her. Cara ducked under the punch and hit him in the ribs before picking him up, using the Blue Eco she had drained off one of his earlier attacks to lift him. Veston saw a perfect opportunity and struck, hitting both of them with his Eco Blade and stopping Cara from hurling Andrew. Unfortunately, Veston neglected to watch his back and was hit with an Eco grenade by Tiffany. Suck an attack naturally sent the target flying face first into the ground, and Veston was no exception.

Tiffany aimed a beam at Cara and fired it off. Cara looked up from the floor and had just enough time to stick her hand out and split the launched attack in half. She then allowed one half to rebound and strike Tiffany, who narrowly dodged the attack. As she leapt to the left, Tiffany unwittingly placed herself directly in front of Andrew, who had coated his body with Yellow Eco and slammed into her. Andrew caught her and placed her down on the ground after hearing her groan in discomfort. As he stood up, Andrew caught the second attack from Cara right in his chest. The Eco flying around his body softened the blow, but Andrew still was pushed back from the force of it.

Tiffany stood up and gathered Yellow Eco around her hands. She ran in and tried to punch Veston, but he evaded her attack and hit her in the chest with his Red Eco Blade. The Eco passed right through her and caused nothing save pain. Veston smiled to himself as Tiffany stumbled back once more- he had been experimenting with his powers and discovered the proper amount of Eco to put into an Eco Blade when sparring. If hit, the limbs remained attached, but the person's body would hurt quite a bit. After about three minutes or so, the pain would fade, allowing for longer training sessions and tournaments. Veston turned around and swiped at Cara, leaving his chest wide open. Cara quickly drained some Eco off his Blade and turned it into fire before striking him in the chest with an open hand. Veston took the blow stoically and returned with one of his own: a spinning back kick and an accompanying slash. Cara groaned as the kick hit her in the stomach and stepped back a few times to regain her balance.

Veston turned around to focus on Tiffany and Andrew and paid for it dearly. Cara had drained more Eco off his Eco Blade when he had hit her with it, and now focused it into a ball of energy that she hurled at him. The attack hit him in the back and Veston lost his balance. As he went forward, he was punched in the chest by Tiffany and he fell backwards. As Veston fell, Cara ran forward, hoping to use his body as a cover. Tiffany apparently saw her coming though, because when Cara jumped over his form, Tiffany hit her in the chest with a kick and sent her down as well. Tiffany dodged a strike by Andrew and hit him with a Yellow Eco beam. As he went down, Tiffany decided to catch a break, seeing as how Veston and Cara had both gotten up and were battling each other.

Cara ducked under a swipe by Veston and kneed him in the ribs. Veston winced but did not lose focus and hit her with a Yellow Eco beam instead of attacking her with his sword again. Veston turned around and saw an Eco blast, courtesy of Tiffany, heading right for him. With no time to dodge, Veston brought his Eco Blade up and blocked it that way. He turned around again and narrowly missed a punch to the head by Cara. He ducked and hit her in the ribs with both palms, sending her up and then back down on the ground. Veston, convinced that Cara was down for a minute or so, turned around again and this time was hit by Andrew, who had gotten up and fired another blast at Veston when he saw Veston's back. Tiffany saw the elf step back and ran in, only to be sent flying back by a swipe to the chest. Veston was so focused on getting back to his feet that he did not notice a blast reflected by Cara. Andrew ducked under his own attack and Veston was hit with it instead. As he went down, Veston slashed his sword at Andrew and hit his target with a wave of Red Eco.

Andrew got up off the floor and turned his Blue Eco Box on, smiling as the energy of Blue Eco washed over him. He ran right at Cara, knowing that she would likely win the match, given her ability to deflect any attack coming at her and redirect it back at someone else. So far, she had taken the least amount of damage. As he ran at her, Veston saw him and launched a Yellow Eco beam right at Andrew's face. Andrew leapt over the attack with a somersault and head butted Veston in the face. Veston grabbed his face and pinched his nose to try to stem the flow of blood. While he was doing this, Tiffany pointed a ball of Eco at him, but lowered her arm when she saw how defenseless he was. She opted instead to aim the ball at Cara, forgetting that the girl was capable of deflecting Eco. Cara caught the attack and rebounded it without looking, since she was focusing on Andrew instead.

As Veston finally got his nose to stop bleeding, Tiffany's reflected attack came at him and struck him in the back, causing him to fall forward. Cara, meanwhile, had sidestepped Andrew's charge and placed a hand on his shoulder as he went by. She also stuck out her foot and tripped him as his Eco was drained away into her body. As Andrew went down, Cara saw a flash to her right and saw a beam of energy coming her way. Using the Blue Eco she had just drained from Andrew, Cara leapt into the air. Unfortunately, Tiffany had been studying her moves and had predicted such an evasion. Therefore, Cara was so surprised to see another attack almost at her when she was in the air that she forgot to redirect it and was hit. As her body hit the ground, Cara tucked her chin to her chest so the back of her head would not hit the ground.

Tiffany watched Cara go down as she fired another beam at Veston, who rolled out of the way. Andrew, who was standing behind Veston in relation to Tiffany, saw the attack and fired a beam of his own. The two of them got into a beam struggle and began ignoring Veston and Cara in favor of trying to overwhelm the other. For Andrew, it was just like when they were kids and had fought in the training area in Volcanic Crater. Tiffany, too, was wracked with nostalgia for that simpler time, but did not allow her desires to cloud her judgment. Cara and Veston got up and looked at each other. Veston tossed her an Eco grenade and both elves hit Andrew and Tiffany simultaneously. As Andrew went down, the back of his head hit the floor, and he was out.

Tiffany got to her feet but immediately surrendered. The reason was simple, Veston had placed Eco blasts all around her, enough to knock her out. She sighed and went to the edge of the arena so she would not interfere, but could still watch as Veston and Cara went back and forth in a graceful, deadly dance. After about ten minutes, Cara got the upper hand and forced Veston to the floor, where she pointed an Eco Blade she had stolen from him at his throat. Veston gave up and Cara was declared the winner, since two opponents had surrendered and the third was unconscious. Cara grinned as the crowd cheered for her and realized, with a slight jolt, that she would be facing Jak next round…

* * *

Veston, Tiffany, and Andrew came out of the sick bay after their wounds were healed and joined Margaret, Richard, and Liz in a special section of the arena stands that were allotted only to participants. Other Channelers had protested about this, saying that they were eligible for participation. True, they were eligible, but they were not in the tournament, as Samos had informed them, and as none of the Channelers wished to battle a Sage over something so trivial and petty, all of them went back to their seats, grumbling as they did so.

"Hey guys," Andrew said as he sat down. The others greeted him and his companions, none of them very happy. All of them would rather have been in a room waiting for the next match than in here with the best view of the action. The Precursors had somehow found a way of making incredible 3-D pictures on a flat piece of metal so that they could look at what was happening with no error in depth perception.

The four elves participating in the third round finished charging up their Eco Boxes and put them on their belts. As Julia took her Blue Eco Box, a bolt of Eco left the box and hit the machine. No one noticed, not even when the entire apparatus began to glow and spark slightly: they were all too focused on the match that they were about to fight. The machine quieted down after a moment, but it still sparked every sixty seconds or so, indicating that something was wrong with it…

* * *

Jak was still going through the crowd incognito. He hated being disguised, but he knew that he would have people swarming all over him if he was to show his face. All of a sudden, Jak felt a sharp pain on the left side of his ear. He gasped in pain as a hand twisted his ear and twisted it to the side.

"Jak!" Keira voiced hissed and Jak relaxed slightly, only to wince as she started dragging him out of the arena, earning both of them stares from the crowd. Keira held onto Jak until they got to his room and then she let go of him. Jak rubbed his sore ear and glared at her indignantly. "What was that for? Why were you out in the crowd? You could have been hurt or killed!" Jak sighed, but immediately felt bad when he saw Keira's eyes begin to tear up. He walked over to her and put his arms around her reassuringly. Keira hugged Jak back and closed her eyes. She had come in here to wish him luck again and he was gone. She had worried, thinking someone had (against all odds) kidnapped him.

"Don't scare me like that again," she whispered. Jak squeezed her gently to help reassure her that he would try not to scare her again. "Why did you wander off, anyway?" Jak pointed at his eyes and then outside at the arena. "You wanted to watch the match?" Jak nodded. Keira giggled at him. "You can do that from in here silly," she said as she walked over to a table that was covered in buttons and switched. Jak had stayed far away from this table and hadn't touched anything, since Daxter had shown him messing around with things that you had no idea what it did often resulted in either a disaster or an explosion. He walked behind Keira and tried to see what she was doing, but her hands moved over the buttons and keys too quickly for him to memorize.

Keira straightened herself and felt her back push against Jak's chest. She turned around and looked up into his eyes and smiled shyly. Jak smiled back as his hands wrapped themselves around her back so he could pull her closer. Both closed their eyes as they got closer and kissed again for the first time in a month. Jak smiled to himself as Keira pulled him closer by wrapping her arms around the back of his head.

Keira gasped for breath as they parted lips, but only for a moment. The next second, they once again were kissing just as passionately as before. Jak's hands found the small on her back and he left them there as she leaned back, her mind feeling dazed. Her back hit the table and Jak went with her as they continued in their passion, oblivious to the fact that holographic figures and attacks were passing through them.

* * *

"And now, those that are competing!" Hatu shouted. "From Pampas Islet, Julia Manuel! Out of the Wasteland Metropolis, Harrison Crisci! From the scenic Sandover Village, Lauren Handy! And from the mysterious City of The Sky, Retep Juliano!" A loud round of applause resonated throughout the stadium match. "And now, let the match begin!"

At the sound of the bell, all the Channelers leapt into action instantly. Julia gathered a ball of flame and sent it flying through the air. As it hit Lauren in the back, it exploded, dealing a blow that one would normally associate with a larger attack. As Lauren stumbled, surprised at such a quick blow, Harrison charged forward and rammed Retep in the chest with his shoulder. Retep went flying through the air and came down about twenty feet away, rubbing his ribs. He wasn't permanently damaged, but Harrison's attacks, even when they were pulled, were not meant to be taken lightly- Retep had a felling he would feel that blow for a while, even if it no longer really hurt.

Regardless, Retep quickly got back up and ran at Julia, using Blue Eco to quicken his movements. When he was a foot away, Julia looked at him and sent a bolt of electricity at him. Retep's body was frozen as the Blue Eco paralyzed him temporarily. Luckily, no one took advantage of him and knocked him down again. Instead, they chose to ignore him. Harrison ran at Julia, who tried the same attack. Though it did cause Harrison to go back, the backlash of it was strong enough to send her off her feet as well, and opened her eyes to the fact that Harrison, even when not Channeling Eco, was a force to be reckoned with. As Harrison landed, Retep hit him with a ball of Blue Eco, freezing the giant in place just as he had been a second before.

Lauren had finally realized that it was too much to not participate in this round, hope that no one would see you, and hope to win. She therefore shot several blasts at Retep, stunning the elf and ran forward, tackling Julia. As both elves went down, Lauren got up and Channeled Red Eco. She then used her increased strength to hit Retep in the stomach, causing the Channeler to gasp. Lauren prepared for another blow just as Harrison charged at the two of them and formed a giant Eco Blade. He swung down and Retep knew that he would have to play a trick that he had hoped to keep secret until round two. Turning on his Yellow Eco Box, Retep formed a shield around his body that exploded when Harrison hit it with his Blade. The giant caught most of the attack, but Lauren was close enough to it to be thrown back off her feet as well.

Just as Lauren was about to hit the ground, Julia focused another small fireball, which she had donned a, "Combustion Blast." The ball hit Lauren in the back and caused her to fall forward on her face. Julia began to focus her powers to use against Harrison, but Retep distracted her by aiming a blast of Eco at her chest and firing. As she staggered back, Retep aimed again, this time for her face, but stopped when Lauren hit him in the chest with an Eco attack of her own. Harrison covered his body with Blue Eco and rushed in, but Lauren used her remarkable aiming talents to hit him right in the eye with a Yellow Eco beam. Harrison stopped advancing and grabbed his face, trying to rub out the bright spot that filled his vision. Unfortunately, Lauren had temporarily forgotten about the sheer differences in size that they shared, and was hit in the chest by a fist about the size of her head.

Harrison dashed forward, his sight returned, and hit Julia and Retep with a single uppercut. As they were propelled into the air, Harrison dropped down and spun around, sticking his massive leg out to trip Lauren. He then back flipped- a move that caused the entire audience to gasp in surprise- and watched as everyone hit the ground. Harrison took this opportunity to rub his eye to get some dust out. Regrettably for him, Lauren had launched an attack at him that he would have been ale to dodge, had he been looking. As it was, he was hit by the powerful beam and sent back, tripping over a piece of rock as he did so and hitting the ground. Julia used her powers to manipulate the wind so that she landed on her feet and sent a trio of combustion blasts at the fallen Harrison. The massive elf saw the attacks coming and pushed off the ground, launching himself into the air.

As he came down, Harrison slammed his feet into the ground and caused a shockwave to travel through the earth. Retep lost his balance and, as a result, was sent flying along with Harrison as Lauren copied his shield attack, only she decided to use Red Eco instead of Yellow. Julia gathered her powers and sent a blast of dust at Lauren, hoping to blind her. Lauren dodged to the right and closed her eyes as she covered her face. As Lauren got up, she hit Retep in the stomach with a few blasts. Both elves got ready for a one-on-one fight when Harrison suddenly picked both of them up with one hand each. They struggled against his grip but quickly realized it was futile to do so. Harrison wondered whether he should knock them out or squeeze them when Julia reminded everyone that she was there by forming a whip of fire and hitting them all with it.

Harrison dropped Lauren and Retep, both of whom quickly launched an attack at him and sent him flying through the air. As Harrison's body hit the floor with a thud, Lauren launched two Yellow Eco blasts at Retep and Julia. Both attacks went hurtling through the air at a rapid velocity, and both attacks hit home. Harrison got up off the ground and Lauren watched him warily, foolishly ignoring Julia. Aforementioned female Channeler stuck her hands in the ground and sent a column of flames erupting out of the ground that surrounded Lauren and Harrison. Both elves froze, afraid to make a move for fear of getting scorched. Retep charged forward and tried to ram Julia, but his attack was dodged. As Harrison prepared an attack hat would cause a miniature earthquake but was stopped by a few fireballs from Lauren.

Julia shot a blast of Blue Eco into the ground and then raised her palms to the sky. The sections of floor that Retep and Lauren were standing on suddenly sprang up, launching both elves into the air. The ground then went back down and returned to normal. As Lauren fell through the air, she sent a blast of Blue Eco that hit Julia in the chest and sent the unorthodox Channeler back into a wall. Lauren landed on Harrison's chest and rolled off so she wouldn't hurt him too badly. As she stood, Harrison grabbed her leg and threw her into the air. Lauren landed on the ground this time, the arena sensing her and softening the earth so she would not break a bone. Lauren bounced back into the air from the force of her fall and was hit with a blast of lightning from Julia again. As she skidded across the ground, Lauren tried as hard as she could to stay awake and keep fighting.

Lauren was joined shortly on the ground by another Channeler. Julia had been rammed from behind by Retep, only to go flying forward into the size twenty seven foot of Harrison. The giant then dashed forward at a surprising speed and threw Retep across the arena, where the Channeler hit the ground and skidded into a wall. Harrison smiled, thinking he had won the match. He quickly realized his mistake, however, when Julia began pumping electricity into his body. While he was paralyzed, Lauren sent a large beam of Yellow Eco that hit him in his chest. Harrison grunted as his body went flying back so fast that he left an imprint of his body in the wall as he slid down.

Julia turned to Lauren and ducked under an Eco beam. She then threw a dozen combustion blasts at the girl, trying to hit her. Lauren ran for her life as each ball exploded a little closer to her than the previous one. Julia allowed herself to get caught up in target practice and did not notice Retep getting up to blast he with an attack of his own. As she hit the ground, Julia saw Lauren finally get hit just as Harrison hit Retep in the chest. Julia got back up and stuck her hand out. Her powers activated and sent a blast of wind at Harrison, who found it difficult to stay on his feet despite his bulk. He leapt into the air and let the wind blow him into a wall. Julia smiled, but realized she had played right into his hands a second later. Harrison leapt off the wall, his bulk allowing him to build up too much momentum for Julia to stop. He landed a foot in front of her and slammed his fists into the ground, causing her to lose her balance. As she fell, Julia pointed at him and a piece of the ground jutted out and knocked Harrison off his feet.

All the Channelers stood up and looked around. None of them bothered to hide the fact that they were exhausted, since all of them knew everyone was tired anyway. Lauren was the first one to act, throwing a torrent of blasts at Harrison. Throughout the fight, he had reminded them all that his colossal strength and stamina gave him an edge that they needed to take away. Retep joined her, seeing her strategy and soon the large elf was being pushed back from the onslaught. Julia had caught on to their strategy by now and decided to help them. After all, with Harrison gone, she would only need to defeat the two of them. She slammed her hands into the ground and tiles from the arena went flying as the ground itself rose up and imprisoned all of Harrison's body save his head: Julia did not want him to suffocate.

Retep saw his chance and charged the tiles with Blue Eco. He sent them at Julia and caused them to whirl around her. As she reached out to try to get past the tiles, the sharp edges cut her finger and elicited a shallow, but rather painful cut. She realized that she was effectively trapped. If she tried to escape, she would succeed in only injuring herself. Retep, satisfied that Julia was removed from the fight for the time being, charged his body with Red Eco and ran at Lauren. As he got near her, she sent a large Yellow Eco blast his way. Instead of continuing his present course, Retep was forced to dodge to the right in order to avoid taking damage. He quickly tried to get to Lauren again, but had gone barely a step when she fired another blast at him.

Lauren and Retep kept up this odd game for a few more minutes before frustration filled Retep's mind. Julia smiled: her opportunity to free herself had come at last. She manipulated the wind that was surrounding her and sent it at Retep as she grinded all the tiles around her to dust. Retep failed to see that attack coming and cursed as his eyes were filled with dust. He quickly began rubbing them to clear his vision, but Lauren had seen that he was blind and finally hit him with an Eco blast. Julia launched a rock at her and Lauren began a duel with the odd Channeler.

Retep got up off the floor and was about to enter the brawl when a loud crunch reached his ears. Retep turned around and saw a huge fist right before it hit him in the chest. Retep staggered back and began fighting Harrison. The crowd kept going back and forth between the two fights that were going on. Finally, Harrison managed to get a grip on Retep and held the small Channeler in the air with both his hands. Retep gasped for breath and gathered the last of his powers. He let a mighty blast that caused Harrison to drop him as he went flying back. The massive elf's head hit the wall and he finally went down. Retep picked himself up again and turned around just in time to see Julia turn the dirt into blocks and wrap them around Lauren's limbs, preventing the teenager from moving. Julia then turned around and saw that Retep was her only remaining opponent.

"Ready?" she called across the arena. Retep nodded as he ran at her. Julia threw a blast of lightning at him, but Retep simply extended his hand and dissipated the attack as he shot a larger blast. Julia raised a section of the ground to intercept the attack and used the explosion as a cover. She darted out and was nearly impaled by a spear. As Retep fired another, Julia kicked it with her foot and sent it right back at Retep, nailing him in the chest. As he stumbled, Julia ran at him, her eyes blazing and her fist crackling with electricity. At the last possible second, Retep grabbed her wrists and leaned back. His feet came up and hit her in the stomach as he pushed her past him. Retep then spun around and suspended her in the air with Blue Eco. He slammed her down into the ground, knowing that if she hit the wall at that velocity there was a good chance that she would get seriously injured. As it was, the force of her hitting the ground knocked her out and Retep was declared the winner. He raised his arms and grinned at the crowd before helping Julia to the medical room. Lauren walked, as she was not seriously injured, but it took eight elves to carry Harrison, who was unconscious. Hatu called in the next four fighters and the crowd once again cheered.

* * *

As the crowd roared its glee at the victor, the sound was loud enough to finally get through to Jak and Keira, who immediately stopped kissing. They looked at each other quickly before blushing and looking away. A low whistle made both of them freeze and, with a feeling of horror in their stomachs, turn towards the doorway.

"Wow. Thirty-seven minutes. I think you guys were goin' for a record," Daxter said as he grinned. Keira spluttered, trying to think of something to say, but Jak walked calmly over to his friend. He picked Daxter up by the scruff of the neck so as not to hurt his friend and pointed at himself, then Keira. He took two fingers and clamped them over Daxter's mouth, then narrowed his eyes at his friend. Though he was a mute, Jak's meaning could not have been any plainer.

"_Tell anyone what you saw, and you'll regret it._"

"Oh yeah? You have nothing on me Jak," Daxter replied with a cocky grin.

"He doesn't, but I do," Keira said as she finally began talking.

"What?"

"Three days ago, I was heading to my garage after getting a part I needed from the Sculptor. As I passed by the mini-hotel we've built, I saw an orange rodent heading to where Cara, Margaret, Tiffany, Julia, Lauren, and Emma go to change before training. Now, I would hate to see what would happen to him if those girls, not to mention their boyfriends and brothers, were to somehow find out," she said, a small amount of menace entering her voice. Daxter's skin, and his fur, paled as he thought back to that day and realized that though he had seen Keira, he had assumed she couldn't see him.

"Fine. My lips are sealed. But you better not tell anyone that you saw me either," he said loudly.

"Deal." Keira and Daxter shook hands, though the latter did so only because he had no choice, and then headed out into the crowd, leaving Jak quite alone. As he sat down and prepared to take a nap, Keira poked her head in and called to him.

"Don't forget Jak, you still get a prize for winning the first round," she said with another wink. Jak grinned at her and gave her a thumbs up as he closed his eyes, awaiting the bell that would signal the second round of this mighty tournament.

* * *

Keira wandered around and saw that Retep had won the third match. She felt happy for the outcast, since she had talked with his sister and found out that neither of them had been very popular back at home. Keira hoped that entering the tournament and winning the first match would help both their reputations. Daxter was watching the last four fighters charge up and shouted as a large blue flash erupted. Keira looked down and saw a figure on the ground as Blue Eco left the machine and coursed through the Channeler's body.

"Bryan!" Meredith cried as she dragged him away from the maverick machine. He looked at her with dazed eyes and she sighed in relief: the enormous amount of Eco he had absorbed hadn't killed him.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked.

"He's fine. In fact, that blast has made him stronger," Ferrid said as he looked at Bryan with his eye.

"What do you mean?" Emma asked as Bryan stood up.

"I mean that that large blast of Blue Eco has changed Bryan. He will no longer be able to Channel Green, Red, or Yellow Ecos, but he will now be able to Channel Blue Eco in ways that only Zeorro Cyan can," Ferrid said. "My eye not only detects Channelers, it lets me know about their powers as well. Trust me, he can fight, and he is able to enter the round."

When the Sages arrived, they confirmed what Ferrid had said and Bryan agreed that he would fight this round using only Blue Eco.

"Sorry for the delay folks," Hatu said, explaining that Bryan was fine and that the match would continue. "Now, in this final match, Bryan Caulfield from Sandover Village, Meredith Bennett of Volcanic Snowy Mountain Island, Ferrid Schuble from Wasteland Metropolis, and Emma Juliano from The City of The Sky! And now, let the last of the elimination matches begin!"

Bryan wasted no time in summoning an Eco Blade and slashing at Ferrid. Like Veston, Bryan had experimented until he had found the perfect sword with which he could spar. As Ferrid stumbled back, clutching his ribs, Meredith blasted Emma back with a Red Eco grenade. Emma flew back and kicked out as she saw Ferrid in the air. Her feet hit him and sent him flying in a different direction as Emma came down and spread her limbs so as to absorb the shock. No sooner had she landed did Meredith chuck another Eco grenade at her, causing her to fly up once more. Bryan saw her in the air and sent a shockwave through the air at her. Emma felt the attack coming and sent her own blast at him. Though she had nowhere near enough power to defeat an Ascended Channeler in a contest of strength, she weakened his attack enough to make it only turn her enough so that she landed on her feet.

Emma landed behind Meredith as she came down and dodged a powerful kick. She grabbed Meredith's leg before swinging her around and throwing the elderly Channeler. Ferrid Channeled Red Eco through his body and punched an unsuspecting Bryan in the back. After the initial blow, Bryan used a technique that he had decided to call the backlash. Though he felt the next powerful punch, Ferrid received double the energy and was thrown back. As Meredith landed, she looked up to see what everyone else was doing. Emma sent a blast of Yellow Eco at Bryan just as Ferrid tried to grab him. Bryan leapt into the air and avoided both blows, leaving Ferrid to deflect the attack Emma had fired.

Meredith ran forward as she threw two fireballs at fireballs at Emma. Emma quickly absorbed the fireballs, only to go down to the ground as Meredith ran at her and lay across the floor, tripping her as she did so. Meredith continued sliding right into Ferrid, who had been blasted back by Bryan. As Ferrid turned around in mid-air, he grabbed Meredith and used her as a cushion. As Meredith picked herself up, Emma rammed her in the back and knocked the female elf over once more. Meredith growled as she picked herself up and dodged a slash by Bryan. As Ferrid and Emma made their way over to him to gang up on the Ascended Channeler, Bryan let out a massive blast that threw everyone back and knocked himself on his feet. All of them got to their feet once more and Bryan immediately attacked Meredith once again.

Meredith ducked under the slash again and threw Bryan away. As she turned around, she leapt into the air to avoid Emma, who was flying through the air due to Ferrid kicking her in the chest. As Emma went whizzing by, Meredith charged up an energy attack and unleashed it. Yellow Eco crackled through the air as she dashed forward. Her speed combined with that of her attack's gave Ferrid zero time to defend, and he went flying back as the attack hit him in the chest. As she turned around, Meredith was seized by Emma and spun around in a circle a few times before begin thrown as well. She hit the ground and skidded, breaking a few tiles as she pushed off and straightened herself.

Bryan used his power to grab Emma out of the air and bring her to him before he tossed her behind him and sent her flying with a strong kick to the ribs. Ferrid dodged her as she flew by and made a beeline for Bryan, who had a distinct advantage above everyone else. He charged some of his power up to create a blow string enough to knock the Channeler out when suddenly two slashes hit him and he stumbled back. Bryan disappeared and reappeared in front of Emma, who he grabbed out of the air. Bryan teleported again and took her with him. As they reappeared, Bryan smashed her into the ground before jumping into the air and deflecting a few blasts sent his way. Ferrid ran in while Meredith was distracting him and out Bryan into a bear hug. Bryan was shocked, but quickly got over it and teleported into the air and flipping over so that Ferrid's back would hit the ground first. Ferrid quickly realized this and spun them around before jumping off Bryan. This move sent Bryan crashing to the ground while ensuring that Ferrid was unharmed.

As Bryan hit the ground, he groaned. Some of this was due to what had just happened to him, and the other part was because Meredith had stepped on him as she ran at Emma, who had just leapt into the air and kicked Ferrid in the chest. Emma landed on her feet as Ferrid stumbled back. Bryan got to his feet quickly and slashed at the two of them, only to stop to block a few attacks from Meredith. Emma fought Bryan for a few seconds and sent him flying back with an Eco blast as Meredith rolled in front of her to avoid a beam by Ferrid. Said beam came within inches of hitting Emma, who ducked under it quickly. As she rose up, she caught the scent of burning hair: the attack had singed the top of her head.

As Emma rose up, Meredith caught her by the head and put her in a headlock. Emma tried to get out but succeeded in only aggravating Meredith, who Channeled Red Eco and hurled her across the arena. Like before, Emma was grabbed seemingly telekinetically by Bryan and sent into the ground. As she hit the ground, she saw Meredith run at Bryan and slid into him, tripping him up and causing the Ascended Channeler into the air. As he rose, Emma hit Bryan in the chest with a Red Eco blast and sending him down to the ground back first. As Ferrid leapt into the fight, he startled Emma, who was beaten to a pulp by his fists. She fell over, her chest bruised but not bleeding. As she looked up and saw Ferrid fighting Meredith, she felt her body and realized that nothing was broken, though she would definitely feel these injuries for a few days.

Ferrid attacked relentlessly, keeping his strength in check. Individually, he made sure his attacks were harmless. It was only when he strung them together for long combos that they did damage, and that was only when he hit someone in the same spot over and over. Bryan slashed at Ferrid from behind, but the Channeler dodged the strike, only to be kicked in the air by Meredith. As he went down, Ferrid fired a blast at Bryan that was blocked with said Channeler's Eco Blade. The attack rebounded upon the caster and Ferrid grunted in pain as he hit the ground and had his body enveloped by his own attack.

Ferrid quickly got up off the ground and ducked under a hook punch from Meredith. He pivoted his body as he dodged and stepped in, delivering a hard blow to the floating rib. Meredith hissed as Ferrid hit her again and then got behind her. He put his forearm around her throat and lowered her to the ground, being ginger with her neck. Both Ferrid and Meredith were levitated and blasted back by Bryan, who had just finished immobilizing Emma temporarily with his Blue Eco Lightning. Bryan sent a scythe of Eco that was really quite blunt at Meredith. Ferrid picked her up and threw it before it could impact it hit her instead. Just as Bryan's attack hit him from behind, Ferrid's chest was nailed a by a fireball from Emma. Meredith, who was quite tired of being thrown around, aimed herself in the air and kicked Ferrid, knocking him down.

Emma ran past Meredith, staying out of range, and coated her body with fire. She ran at Bryan, who held up both his hands again. As she leapt into the air and angled down so she was heading for him foot first, Bryan used his backlash attack once more and both were knocked back. As their bodies hit the floor, Meredith's beam of Eco traveled through where they had been a second ago and hit the walls, dissipating as it did so. Bryan stood up shakily and diverted the score of fireballs that Meredith had sent his way. Bryan blasted her back with a shockwave before slashing at Ferrid. Unfortunately, he left his ribs open and Ferrid dodged to the right, kicking Bryan as he did so. Bryan fell back, clutching his ribs, which were hurting quite a lot. He took comfort in the knowledge that if he won the match, he could ice his ribs so they wouldn't bother him too much.

As Meredith fought Ferrid, she quickly gained the upper hand and began hitting him in the chest. Emma blasted both of them with a beam of Red Eco before jumping over Meredith's tripping slide. Meredith came to rest right in front of Bryan, who jumped over her and went over to where Emma was now fighting Ferrid. Meredith used a trick she had learned from watching Bryan, and yanked him back using Blue Eco. As he came towards her, he slashed at her with a horizontal swipe. Meredith back flipped over the attack and thrust both her legs put as Bryan came rushing in. Bryan cried out as her feet hit him in his tender rib and he fell back. Bryan gasped for breath when suddenly he remembered that the Blue Sage was capable of healing himself by speeding up his body's metabolism. He decided to give it a try and stayed down, hoping that everyone would ignore him as he tried to focus his powers.

Emma, meanwhile, had just succeeded in blasting Ferrid backwards. As his body bounced off the ground, Emma sent a beam of Yellow Eco. She had forgotten about timing, however, and had launched the attack at where he was at the moment, with the result that it just missed him and hit Bryan in the chest just as he stood up, feeling very pleased with himself. Meredith watched as Ferrid slammed his hand into the ground and a blast of Eco traveled across the ground and knocked Emma off her feet. Ferrid stood above Emma and gathered a large ball of Yellow Eco, making it very clear that he wanted Emma to surrender. Meredith saw her chance and dashed forward using Blue Eco. She rammed him in the back with her shoulder and they both went down.

Meredith straddled Ferrid's chest and punched him a few times in the face, mainly in the forehead. She got in three blows before Emma yanked her off him and slammed her into the ground. Ferrid launched a beam of Blue Eco at the two women, but Bryan dashed forward and absorbed the blast, using it to recharge his nearly depleted Eco reservoirs. He turned towards Emma and Meredith before extending both his hands and tightening them into fists. Emma and Meredith both rose into the air at once. Bryan spread his arms, leaving his chest completely exposed, as both girls went flying in opposite directions. Ferrid launched a surprise attack and hit Bryan in the chest, causing the elf from Sandover to step back.

Meredith stood up and charged Bryan, realizing finally that he posed the biggest threat and almost got to him. Ferrid stepped in front of her and the two began to fight. Halfway through the brawl, Bryan blasted everyone back once more. As the three elves got to their feet, they turned to each other.

"Team up?" Emma asked.

"Definitely," Ferrid answered.

"Let's take him down," Meredith said before all three attacked Bryan.

Bryan used the Blue Eco he had left to accelerate his body to nearly blinding speeds as he dodged attacks from three elves. After five minutes, Bryan saw his chance and Emma went down, a blow to the chin having done the job quite effectively. Ferrid and Meredith both back off before shooting a blast of Eco at him: the former choosing Red Eco while the latter preferred Yellow Eco. Bryan extended his hands and seemed to catch the attacks before spinning one hundred eighty degrees and hitting Ferrid with Meredith's attack and Meredith with Ferrid's. As Meredith stumbled back, Bryan dashed at her and ducked under a hook punch. The attack was as effective on Meredith as it was on Emma, and knocked the elf.

Ferrid gulped as Bryan dashed at him and assumed a boxing stance. Ferrid was not a bad fighter, but Bryan made up for his lack of experience with extraordinary speed. Ferrid blocked three jabs before Bryan got through his defenses and hit him above each eye. Bryan then threw a cross into Ferrid's chest, an uppercut under the chin, and finished the male elf off with a hook punch, knocking him out.

Bryan grinned as he was proclaimed the winner and looked at his friends. He levitated them and walked to the medical room. He knew that none of them was seriously injured, but he wanted to take them there to make up for knocking them out: they would likely be dizzy and disoriented when they came to. The least he could do was explain what had happened while they rested. And, he thought, they might have some ice for his head, which was hurting a bit from all the fighting.

* * *

Jak walked out of his room as the signal for him to enter the arena sounded. He stepped into the arena and saw that it was filled with craters and debris that had not been there at the end of his match. He was surprised that the Precursors hadn't made the arena self healing, but then decided that either they had and the elves had yet to discover it; or they wanted the tournament to be realistic to real battles. He put his musings aside as he heard Hatu's voice over the speakers.

"Now, the second round will being. The eliminations have yielded four winners. Two of them are Retep Juliano and Bryan Caulfield, who will fight next match. This match however, is Cara Tarakava, Queen of Brigands Bastion-" a much louder round of applause rang out at her name than last time. Jak supposed that seeing her fight had made people like her more. "And Jak Hagia of Sandover Village, who-" the rest of Hatu's statement was drowned out by a roar of applause that astounded Jak. He smiled shyly and waved, causing the people to cheer louder. "And now, let the second match begin!" Hatu bellowed. Jak and Cara walked up to each other and smiled at each other before shaking hands. They then backed off and assumed combat stances, each wanting to win the match that was ahead of them.

Jak couldn't take it anymore after a minute of waiting and launched himself at Cara, being careful not to use his Eco. Cara smirked: the most talented Channeler in the tournament was unable to use Eco because she would turn it against him. She snapped out of her musings as Jak leapt over her, only to activate his Blue Eco Box and do a back flip in the air so he would land where he jumped from. Cara felt three quick punches against her back and stumbled forward. Cara spun around and threw a back kick, catching Jak in the chest with a back kick. Jak took the blow with no exterior signs of pain, but inwardly, he winced- that rib had been aching for a while now. Cara threw a punch but Jak blocked it with his arm. The two entered a struggle, each pushing against the other to make the opponent back off. Jak ducked under a hook punch and rolled right between Cara's legs as she threw a roundhouse kick. Jak grabbed Cara and spun her around before shoving her so that she stumbled backwards. Cara regained her footing almost instantly, but Jak rammed her in the chest with his shoulder.

Cara flew back a foot or two from the blow but stayed on her feet. As Jak launched a Yellow Eco beam at her, she caught it and absorbed it around her, ready to call on it when she needed a trump card. Jak cursed mentally. He hadn't meant to try to hit her with an Eco attack; he had just done it as a forceful habit. Cara dashed at Jak, who stood still, waiting for her strike. Cara threw a punch and leaned back slightly to get her hips into it. Jak saw his chance and thrust his foot forward right into her stomach. Cara cried out softly as she fell back and did a reverse somersault. She shook her head to clear it and stood back up. Jak allowed her: because this was not a fight in which he had to worry about three other people, he was willing to let Cara get up off the floor and regain her footing before attacking her again. Cara leapt into the air and Jak followed her. He threw a spinning back kick as they neared each other, but felt it only graze Cara. The girl took the opportunity to hit Jak with a kick of her own and sent the teenager plummeting to the ground.

Unfortunately, Cara took her eyes off Jak as she landed and was picked up once more from behind. Jak copied his move from before- he shoved her forward before ramming her with his shoulder. This time, Cara was prepared for it and grabbed Jak's wrist as she stumbled back. Though she maintained her footing, Jak was not so lucky, as Cara saw fit to throw him into the dirt. Jak started to get up and saw Cara rushing at him. He bent over and head butted her in the gut, stopping her from attacking him. Cara backed off a couple of steps and fired a piece of the Yellow Eco beam she had taken from Jak before. Jak charged through the beam by surrounding his body with Red Eco and stuck his right arm out. As he ran by, his arm smacked Cara across the chest and she fell over from the force of his blow.

Cara stood up and quickly stole some of the Red Eco surrounding Jak. As she spread it over her body, Cara made it burst into flames and charged forward, her body becoming a moving inferno. Jak remained calm and dodged to the right as she streaked past him. Cara had been watching him, unfortunately, and turned the fire surrounding her into a blast. Jak was thrown backwards from the force of the attack and sent a blast of his own through the smoke that was rising from the battle. He heard no grunt of pain, nor did he hear it impact the walls, so Jak assumed the worst and guessed that Cara had taken that beam as well, read to turn it against him when he least expected it.

Cara decided to use it straight away and sent a large number of attacks his way. Jak leapt into the air and threw a dozen or so small blasts of his own. Cara stuck her hand out and the attack rebounded off her flesh onto Jak. Jak fell to the ground, landing a little shaky after getting hit by his own attack. As Cara ran at him, Jak jumped in the air to avoid getting swept off his feet and flipped his front leg up to kick her in the ribs. The attack did next to no damage, but the sensation distracted Cara, which had been Jak's intention all along. Jak hit Cara in the stomach and then the ribs with inverted palms. Cara was lifted off the floor from the attack, but grabbed Jak's hand as he went to strike again. She grabbed the wrist and turned her body while stepping under his arm. To stop his wrist from snapping, Jak was forced to go with his arm and fell to the ground. Like Jak, Cara backed off after slamming him down and allowed him to get back on his feet. Jak understood that she was being courteous, not mocking him.

Jak surreptitiously activated his Blue Eco Box and got up before Cara could react. He hastily ran at her and rammed her in the chest. As she stumbled backwards, Jak leapt over her and rammed her again so that he began to fall forward. Before she could react, Jak got in front of her and tossed her into the air. Cara looked at him as she rose and stuck her hand out. Rather than steal the Eco that was moving around Jak, she decided to use it immediately. Jak was most surprised when his body flew back of its own accord and slammed into a wall. He quickly turned his Blue Eco Box off, realizing what Cara was doing, and smirked when she cursed as she hit the ground. Cara dashed at Jak, who used a technique that he had seen Zeorro do. Little did he know that it was Bryan's new favorite attack. As Cara punched him, Jak used a backlash wave and hit her with double the damage he took. Both Channelers flew back and Jak pried himself out of the wall while Cara picked herself up off the floor.

Cara used the Blue Eco she had been saving since last match and used it to create an illusion of herself. As her illusion dashed forward, Jak blocked the attack and Cara tried to hit him from behind. Little did she know that Jak had seen through her ploy and leapt over her attack. He was ill prepared to block a back kick from Cara as he landed, and stumbled back, albeit towards the center of the arena this time. As they both leapt into the air, Cara leapt higher than Jak and kicked him in the forehead, sending him down to earth. Jak shot a blast of Yellow Eco at the ground and used the recoil to slow his progress. Jak landed on his feet and waited for Cara to do the same.

Jak gathered the Yellow Eco in his body and allowed it to expand as Cara ran at him, her face determined. As she impacted the Eco, Cara was thrown back. Jak's attack had been so quick, she had forgotten to absorb it from the shock. She dashed forward again and this time coated her foot with Red Eco as she leapt through the circle. She broke through and hit him right in the chest, sending him backwards again. Jak sailed back and saw himself about to hit the wall. He angled his body so that his feet would hit first and launched himself off the wall, tackling Cara. As they both hit the ground, Jak put his hands in front of his face and leaned forward, flipping himself up. Cara used the last bit of Blue Eco she had and attacked, sending the Eco through the ground. Jak used his own attack and it sent Cara flying into the air.

As Cara went down, she gathered a ball of Yellow Eco in her hand, positive that Jak would try to hit her in the air. She was quite right, and Jak gathered a ball of Red Eco in his hand. As he leapt up, they both attempted to punch the other with their hand of Eco. The resulting explosion sent Jak into the air and Cara through the air. Jak saw how high she was and flew up to her. He caught her as she began her descent. Cara punched him in the face before she realized what he was doing. As he put her down, she apologized to him. Jak waved a hand airily, knowing that it was a mistake. They backed off and then resumed the fight. Jak sent a weak blast of Eco at Cara. She rebounded it and ran forward, ready to strike right after it. Jak simply fired a stronger blast that overrode his first attack and hit Cara as she ran into it. Cara went flying back and got up off the ground, mentally noting that strategy so she would not fall for it again.

Cara sent a few streaks of Red Eco at Jak. Jak ran forward, not even feeling the attacks. He got right up to her as she continued to attack. By this time, Jak's shoulders felt the Red Eco- they were red and raw. Jak ignored the pain, and simply grabbed her. After lifting her in the air and receiving a couple of blows to the face, Jak shoved her back. Cara stumbled and tripped over a piece of rock that was jutting out. She flipped up into the air and sent a small ball of fire that Jak had launched at her back at him. Jak fell back from his own attack and got to his feet. Both Channelers looked at each other, exhaustion written all over their faces.

Cara launched Jak into the air again and Jak kicked her as she came after him. Both landed on their feet and Jak threw a flying kick at Cara. Cara dodged it and hit him in the back as he passed with a round kick. Jak fell to the ground and his Yellow Eco Box cracked open. Cara spotted the Eco leaving and sucked up half of it before Jak drained the remaining Yellow Eco into his body. He and Cara looked at each other and waited for the other to make a move.

They both acted simultaneously, running in one direction and firing Yellow Eco Blasts at the same time. The blasts hit each other and cancelled out. Jak ran at Cara, who leapt into the air. Jak looked up in time to see her throw a disk of energy. Jak reacted instinctively and leapt over it as he fired a blast of his own. Cara avoided it as she landed by twirling in the air. She landed and began a melee with Jak, who eagerly returned the challenge. After five minutes, they backed off and both charged up a massive blast of Yellow Eco before they fired. The beams collided, but instead of canceling each other out, they began vying with each other for domination. As Cara's beam gained the upper hand, Jak leapt up and out of the way so he wouldn't be vaporized. He looked down and he saw that Cara had vanished. Jak looked around and saw Cara above him. The female Channeler charged up a ball of Yellow Eco and hurled it at Jak. Jak put his arms in front of him like an "X" and blocked the attack.

Jak created an Eco Blade as Cara used the last of her Eco to do the same. He brought his sword up in a horizontal slash, but a vertical block stopped it. Jak muscled through the block and forced Cara to jump over his attack. As he spun, he switched directions to take Cara by surprise, but his sword was blocked once again. Jak brought his sword down and to the left, but again he was deflected. Cara pushed Jak's sword back and copied his last attack; he came down and to the left. Jak blocked and spun his sword around and came up and to the right, trying to slice through Cara's legs. The pirate blocked the attack and brought her sword up behind her head before slamming it down. Jak blocked it and they began pushing against each other, each trying to throw the other off balance. Cara pushed his blade up, leaving Jak temporarily defenseless, and then delivered a hard kick to Jak's chest.

Jak went flying back, but landed on his feet, using his sensational agility and flexibility to regain his footing. Jak slowly walked towards Cara and swung his sword in a vertical path going down. Cara blocked this blow, but was caught by surprise when Jak swung his sword in the opposite direction and came from below. The tip of Jak's blade touched her skin and Cara hissed at the pain that the Eco Blade caused, even if it didn't through her skin. She simply ignored the pain and brought her sword crashing down on Jak's head. Or she would have, had Jak not once again blocked the attack. Cara then turned her blade and came at Jak from below, only to be foiled and blocked again. Again and again, they went back and forth. Most of the spectators were have been unable to discern one blade from the other, as they were both moving so fast that the blades seemed to leave blurs in the air.

Once again Jak came up from the ground and was blocked; both of them holding their blades firmly in place as they circled each other. Jak broke his off and did a triple strike, coming first across from the left, then across from the right, then straight down. Cara blocked all three blows with relative ease and then resumed taking the offensive. He swung his blade across, making Jak lean back. Cara was quick to press weight on the blade in an attempt to overbear Jak. Jak leaned so that his head was nearly to the ground and kicked Cara in the chin.

Cara went soaring backwards in a graceful arc and landed on her hands. She quickly got up and stopped Jak's next attack- a downward stroke to the left. Jak back-flipped away and landed on his feet, bent down with one hand on the ground and the other in front of his face. He rose and charged Cara, swinging his sword in a straight thrust. Cara quickly parried it and the two of them once again danced around each other, attacking and blocking, pivoting and parrying in an attempt to win.

Jak swung his sword to the left and then seemed to disappear. Cara heard air being cut through behind her and quickly turned around to stop the sword that was coming for her. After his block, he moved his rapier down and then back up to put Jak off balance. Jak recovered instantaneously and brought his sword above his head and slammed it down, then brought it back and repeated the motion. Cara continued blocking and eventually had to take a step back. This one movement would prove to be her downfall, as Jak was quick to strike again and again, almost to quickly to see. Cara tried one last attack: a downward chop with all of her considerable strength behind it. Jak blocked and put both hands on opposite sides of his sword. He pushed back as hard as he could and forced Cara to fall over. Cara continued trying to defend himself as Jak's sword crashed against his continuously, but eventually Jak prevailed. Bringing his sword across rather than down, Jak made Cara's sword arm swing wildly out and then he brought his sword down for one final attack. His blade cut right through Cara's head and screamed out from the intense pain before falling to the floor. Jak quickly saw that she had passed out and picked her up.

"Jak, I'm okay," Cara said as Jak began to carry her off. He quickly put her down and Cara giggled. "I only passed out for a second, "but I feel fine now." Jak smiled, glad that his friend was okay. "Hey Jak!" she shouted as Jak began walking back to his room. He turned around and looked inquisitively at her. "Good luck in the final match. I'll be wanting a re-match soon!" Jak grinned and gave her a thumbs up.

Cara smiled at Jak as Veston and Retep helped her to the healing area. She wasn't injured, but she would have a few bumps and bruises in addition to the ones that she had gotten during the first match. Jak smiled at her and watched her go. He then went back to his room and caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror. His goggles were gone, leaving his face bare. His hair was singed slightly in some places, and his forehead had a large cut that looked as though it had been cauterized. His face was bruised and had soot all over it, just like his shoulders and what could be seen of his chest and legs, since his clothes were getting ruined. His pants were now shorts, and his shirt was little more than shredded. He pulled up the table that Keira had set up for him before and watched the next match begin. He wanted to see how an Ascended Channeler would fight, especially one tied to one of the more passive Ecos. He was glad that the Sages had decided that Bryan would get three Blue Eco Boxes, since he was unable to wield any other Ecos and it would be unfair if he only had one Eco Box. Jak watched as the bell rang and the two holographic figures ran at each other.

* * *

Hatu was quick to make the introductions and the bell rang. Bryan summoned his Eco Blade and prepared to fight Retep. Retep summoned a Yellow Eco Blade of his own. Bryan increased the size of his Eco Blade to the size of a falchion. He then rushed forward and brought his big sword crashing down. Retep blocked it with a horizontal swipe, but the sheer force of the blow sent him staggering backwards a couple of steps. That was all Bryan needed, as he charged forward, swinging his weapon as it did so. Retep blocked the first horizontal swipe, but realized after that that it would be much easier to simply dodge the incoming attacks. He leaned forward under another horizontal strike and then stood up straight and spun to the left as a vertical blow came from below. Retep leaned forward again and dodged a third attack, but realized the flaw in his plan very quickly: if he continued to back up without attacking, he would eventually run out of room and lose.

As Bryan thrust his sword forward, Retep brought his crashing down to block it. Unfortunately, he had fallen right into Bryan's trap. Bryan stuck out his hand and Retep's opened of its own accord. As he dodged, his Eco Blade vanished into thin air. Retep ducked under a vertical strike and could not find the time to turn on his Yellow Eco Box, since Bryan was attacking too fast to give him any free time. He leaned to the right as Bryan brought his Eco Blade back up and then thrust forward. Retep leapt backwards and formed another Eco Blade while in the air, landing with a new weapon.

Retep spun around and brought his sword rushing in, the Eco Blade hissing as it split the air. The Ascended Channeler rotated his sword so that the hilt was facing towards the ceiling and blocked the incoming strike. He jumped back before leaping forward, spinning in the air and connecting his foot with Retep's face. The Channeler went stumbling back and fell as he tripped over a piece of rock. Fortunately, he retained enough of his senses that he saw Bryan landing and he rolled to the side just in time to avoid the Eco Blade going right through his body. The same could not be said of the large boulder behind him, which shattered as the Eco formed sword went right through it.

Retep got to one knee before Bryan struck again, swinging with the arm closest to Retep. Even as he blocked the attack, Bryan moved in with nightmarish speed and transferred his weapon to his back hand. Before he realized what was happening, Retep felt the breath leave his body as Bryan let a shockwave leave his hand. Once again, Retep traveled through the air, but did not travel far. Bryan pulled him back with his new Blue co powers and kicked Retep, letting him travel through the air this time.

Retep landed painfully on some rocks, the sharp corners digging into his back and increasing his discomfort. Bryan once again tried to cut through him, but Retep dodged again, determined to defeat his foe and win the tournament. His dreams were cut short, however, by Bryan grabbing him by the chest and picking him up. Bryan slammed him into another column and brought his sword back to knock Retep out. Retep saw his chance and kicked the Channeler in the face. As he went stumbling back, Retep landed and brought his sword up to his shoulder, pointing straight ahead at Bryan.

Retep darted forward and with an upward strike knocked aside the dazed elf's weapon. He brought his sword back and thrust it forward one final time- right in Bryan's chest. Bryan groaned and hit Retep with a shockwave. Retep went flying back and summoned another Eco Blade, realizing that he would need two weapons to beat an Ascended Channeler.

Retep attacked first as they both leapt into the air, striking first with a blow coming across from the right. Bryan had just finished blocking this when his opponent spun around, swinging blindly with his left arm. Retep continued forward while Bryan planted his feet and swung his Blade in an arc over his head. This chop was deflected by his opponent, who quickly countered by bringing his Blades across his body. Bryan blocked both strikes as fast as he could, and struck at his foe once more. Retep moved with unnerving speed, considering he wasn't Channeling Blue Eco, as he dodged to the left of the strike and swung first with his left, then his right Eco Blade. He then spun around and brought both of his weapons across at different heights.

Bryan leapt back out of the way of this attack and then charged forward, swinging his single Blue Eco Blade down. Retep blocked the attack and parried it with his left arm before striking with a wide curve with his right. Bryan blocked this move and smashed his Blade on top of the one that he had sent downwards. Both Channelers struggled for a split second before breaking the lock and again attacking one another.

Retep brought his Eco Blade in his left hand up from below, and followed it as he stepped forward with a swipe from his right. Bryan was hard pressed to deflect both attacks without so much as a scratch on him, but he managed it. He once again tried to cut his opponent in half from the head down, but this time Retep brought his Eco Blades above his head in an X-block. He pressed upward and leapt over a low attack, as Bryan had followed the momentum of his Blade and allowed it to go behind his back before bringing it up and to the right.

As Bryan ran forward with the momentum of the attack, Retep leapt ten feet in the air effortlessly, tapping into the Red Eco he was Channeling to increase his strength. As he landed, he twisted himself around and brought his Eco Blades down. Bryan stepped back from the strength of the attack before changing his momentum and running forward. He swiped at the enemy, but his opponent was now using his already formidable speed and Blue Eco. He dashed forward past the attacks so fast that it appeared to teleport. As he past Bryan on the left, the Channeler from the floating city swung backwards with his right arm and then reversed the spin, attacking with his left hand. He tossed his Blades between his hands, hoping to dazzle Bryan, and then attacked with his right arm. Bryan dodged the attack before going in and thrusting his Blade forward. Retep parried the attack to the right and attacked again by slamming both his Eco Blades down. Bryan backed off and allowed the Eco Blades to hit the ground. An eerie hissing sound was heard as the Eco-based weapon cut through the rock. Bryan ran forward and tried to hit Retep in the head with his fist.

Bryan was sent flying back as a blast of Yellow Eco hit him in the chest, stopping only when he hit a wall. He rubbed his head with his free hand and looked up. He immediately leapt up upon seeing Retep coming in, both Eco Blades ready to cut dish out some major damage. He used the Blue Eco residing inside his body to propel himself fifteen feet in the air, coming down about twenty feet away from his opponent. Bryan turned around and extended his hand. Sent out a wave of Blue Eco. Unfortunately for him, Retep had suspected such a tactic, because he crossed his Blades across his chest and only skidded back about fifteen feet. Retep then took the opportunity and leapt at his enemy, but had not accounted for Bryan's near-mastery of Blue Eco. Using his left hand, the Ascended Channeler sent debris littering the floor flying at Retep. Retep cut through the incoming projectiles, but the cost was high. He lost sight of Bryan, who continued to send debris at Retep while lurking out of sight.

Retep turned around and ducked to avoid being hit by a large rock. He rose and spun, shearing another rock in half. He looked to his left and saw a column of rock being hurled at him. He held his Eco Blade in front of him and the trunk was cut in half, both sides passing him on either side. Bryan waited for Retep to realize that he was finished throwing things at him, which eventually happened. Bryan was then forced back under a furious series of thrusts and swipes, unable to think of a strategy beyond not getting hit. Retep thrust his Blade forward and left it out a fragment of a second too long. But that one instant was enough, and he found his Eco Blade being flipped into the air as Bryan sent it out of his hand. Bryan then did the same to the other hand. He then tried to cut into Retep at the waist, but his opponent leapt up. While in the air, Retep managed to make one last Eco Blade.

Bryan managed to land in front of his opponent, and had his Eco Blade knocked away by a swipe. He ducked under the a second swipe and received a spinning back kick in the chest. Bryan landed and jumped over a swipe that would have hit him in the legs before coming down with an overhead chop that was blocked. Bryan sent the assassin flying back, and was hurled back by another blast in return.

Bryan rolled backwards and swiped at Retep, almost hitting him. The assassin rolled out of the way and levitated pebbles off the ground. They flew at Bryan, who winced as they continuously cut him. Eventually, he had enough and exploded with energy. The force dispersed the Eco Blade Retep was holding and blasted him off his feet. Retep got up and did not make another Eco Blade: he knew it would just be a waste of time and Eco.

Bryan dashed at Retep and leapt into the air cover the distance quicker. Retep launched a Yellow Eco blasts at him while in midair, which Bryan attempted to dodge. He was unsuccessful, however, and hit the ground hard. As Retep rushed at him, Bryan hit Retep with an arrow of Blue Eco and staved off the Channeler. As Retep tried to clear his eyes of the dust that had accompanied the attack, Bryan sprinted up to him and slashed him across the chest with his Eco Blade. Retep quickly rallied and sent a large wave of flames at Bryan. Bryan was sent flying back from the force of the attack.

Retep ran at Bryan and dodged to the right at the last second to avoid the swipe. What he hadn't counted on, however, was the stream of Eco that left the Blade and struck him across the chest. As Bryan prepared for a follow-up attack, Retep charged forward and punched Bryan right in the chest. Bryan landed on the floor and nearly passed out after Retep sent so many attacks at him that Bryan stopped counting after a while. Bryan melted through the floor and walked right underneath Retep. As he grabbed Retep's leg, Bryan smirked. He caused Retep to sink into the solid stone. He looked down at Retep struggle for a second before the normal Channeler sighed and gave up. Bryan grinned and lifted Retep out of the ground. They shook hands and Bryan went back to his room for the half hour wait that he had before the final match with Jak.

* * *

Bryan left the arena and went back to his room. He had half an hour to rest up before the final match, and he was going to take advantage of it. He laid down on his bed and waited for the siren that was the signal for the final round.

"Now ladies and gentlemen, it is time to wrap up this tournament," Hatu said half an hour later. Both Jak and Bryan had been healed by Samos. The Sages wanted the crowd to see a truly spectacular fight, and that would be more likely if the two of them were in tip-top condition. He and Jak stepped into the now destroyed arena and shook hands as Hatu announced their names. They shared a smile before backing off and awaiting the bell for the final match. As the bell rang, Bryan and Jak launched at each other, the former activating one of his Blue Eco Boxes as he summoned a Blue Eco Staff, while the latter formed a Yellow Eco Blade.

Jak and Bryan charged each other, whirling their weapons around in an attempt to disorientate and confuse the other. Jak leapt into the air as Bryan swung his Eco staff, not only dodging the attack, but placing himself behind Bryan. As he stabbed, Bryan flipped his Staff around and parried the block without looking. He spun around, putting so much force behind his weapon that Jak had to step back. As Bryan struck and chopped, Jak found himself desperately blocking and dodging. After a minute of this, Jak knew he had to get back on the offensive or he would never win. As he ducked a swipe, he punched Bryan in the chest and sent his opponent staggering back a few inches. Bryan instantly tried to strike Jak once again, coming in low, intending to cut Jak's feet and make Jak focus on the pain in his foot instead of the fight. Jak blocked it and struck forward, swinging his Blade horizontally to do the same thing to the Ascended Channeler, only he decided to aim for the head.

Bryan blocked the blow with ease, only to have Jak try to cut him in half by the waist. Rather than blocking Jak with the same side, Bryan simply changed his swords angle slightly and once again blocked the incoming blow. As Jak blocked and struck, he slowly pushed the bigger Channeler away. He continued walking towards Bryan, both ensuring his opponent would not get a chance to rest and hoping that with his back against the wall, his adversary would surrender.

Bryan quickly caught onto Jak's game plan and back flipped, landing on a boulder sticking out of the ground. Jak jumped up to meet him, bringing his sword straight down. Bryan blocked the strike and elbowed Jak in the face as he landed. Jak was stunned momentarily from the blow and was punched in the jaw. He fell backwards off the boulder and landed on his back. As Bryan came down, he deflected the blow and kicked him in the stomach as hard as he could. Bryan backed off, gasping for air as Jak got to his feet. They both took deep breaths as they surveyed each other, thinking of a new strategy. Jak came in with his Eco Blade horizontal, but quickly changed it to a downward slash. Bryan had brought his weapon up vertically to block the incoming slash when Jak flipped angles and quickly had to change his own to avoid being struck. They locked blades for an instant and Jak backed off, not wanting to get into a struggle of brute force. He spun around three hundred and sixty degrees and tried to hit Bryan in the legs. Rather than blocking it, Bryan simply jumped into the air and did a split, effectively dodging the swift attack.

As his opponent landed, Jak brought his sword down to the right but was blocked. He moved to his side so his arm was sticking straight out and waited for Bryan to take the bait. As his opponent made to hit the appealing limb, Jak moved his arm out of harms way so fast it appeared to simply vanish. As he pulled his arm back, Jak rotated on the ball of his left foot and kicked Bryan in the chest with the heel of his right. The two of them circled each other again, trying to think of a strategy that would win the match. Jak backed off half a step and waited, wanting to be on the defensive for a bit and lure Bryan in. As the Channeler was attacked, he flipped his blade so he was holding it knife-style. He quickly blocked the torrent off attacks coming at him and tried to slice Bryan's feet again. He was blocked and as the azure blade came up, his Eco Blade was throw into the air. Bryan smiled at the defeated opponent but then frowned. If Jak had truly lost, why was he just standing there. Bryan backed off and was immediately thankful that he did; Jak's Blade imbedded itself in the ground and if he hadn't of moved, Bryan would have caught the sword in the top of his head. Jak stuck his hand out and his Eco Blade left the ground and into his hand. Jak immediately raised his weapon to block an incoming strike at his face.

Bryan bared his teeth as he pushed Jak back; his body gaining extra power from the adrenaline the battle brought forth. He brought one half of his staff straight down and then flipped it so that he would hit Jak between the legs and then go up. Jak jumped straight up as the weapon came in and landed on Bryan's head. He balanced on the skull of the Ascended Channeler for an instant before hopping down. As Bryan staggered to regain his balance, Jak came in with a slash aimed at the hips. Unfortunately for him, it was blocked. Bryan came in with two quick blows on opposite sides of Jak's head. Jak blocked them with lightning quick efficiency and brought his blade crashing down.

Bryan widened his hands so that they were positioned as if he was lifting weights and brought it up quickly. The staff hit Jak's wrists and nullified his attack. Bryan pushed up, throwing Jak off balance and spun around and kicked the Channeler in the chest. Jak went flying back and slammed into a nearby rock. As his body crumpled to the ground, he healed himself with Green Eco, which the Sages had allowed for this round only. He looked over at his opponent, smiling in that smug fashion and the blood began to pound in his ears. Jak shook his head, not wanting to allow his anger to be his downfall and leapt into the air. As he landed a few feet away from Bryan, he leapt in and struck at the same time, using the momentum from his landing carry him forward.

Jak slammed his Blade into Bryan's, not really aiming to hit him, but wanting to gain momentum from a series of hits that would throw his adversary off balance. His drive was broken when he had to duck an incoming blow. He saw Bryan getting ready to cut him in the back as he came up and put his Blade behind his back and blocked the blow. He quickly brought it back in front of his chest to block a hit that would have done the same thing on the front side; hurt. The two exchanged about fifteen blows in the next three seconds and backed off again, trying to scare each other by whirling their Blades around in intricate pattern. Bryan spun around two times before swinging one side of his sword in. He pulled it towards him so it wouldn't be a threat, but then quickly thrust it out again and stopped moving. He brought the same side in from an opposite direction and was dismayed when Jak didn't fall for his trick.

Jak brought his knee up and slammed it into Bryan's hands. As they came up, Jak spun around and kicked Bryan in the chest, jumping off and landing on his feet. Bryan fell over from the force of the attack and split his Eco Staff into two Eco Sabers. Jak assumed a defensive stance as Bryan came dashing in.

The two of them locked Blades and once again leapt back, not caring the other saw them gasp for breath. Jak wondered how long they had been fighting. He put it a range of about an half an hour. He steadied his Blade and waited for Bryan to come off the rock he was standing on. Jak watched Bryan tense up and he leapt at the same time as the Ascended Channeler. He blocked an incoming strike as Bryan spun around and attacked with his back turned. Jak tried to end the fight with a blow to the head but Bryan must have known it was coming, as the cobalt colored Eco Blade blocking his strike testified. Bryan crossed his arms as he lashed out yet again at Jak and was surprised at the speed with which Jak blocked and countered. Jak ducked and back flipped as Bryan spun around and made a double strike. He rushed back in with an overhead chop and the two of them meleed for a while, swinging their Blades so fast it would have been impossible to differentiate them had they not been different colors. Indeed, Jak found himself almost guessing at which one of Bryan's Blades was which, they both moved so fast.

Jak knocked away both of Bryan's Blades with one strike and slash, but Bryan simply jumped over Jak with a flip and some twirls. Bryan landed in a combat stance and ran in, holding one of his Blades knife-style. He charged and attempted to sheer Jak in half with the Blade farther away from Jak, but did not succeed. As he ran past Jak he swung the Blade that was closer backwards and glared at nothing in particular when he felt it stop. He continued spinning and swinging, giving himself a dradle-like appearance. Jak blocked the incoming strikes that were varied in height and once or twice had to jump or duck to avoid being cut in half. As the strikes became faster, Jak knew he wouldn't be able to block fast enough and he started to back-peddle. It was a move that would prove to be a mistake.

Bryan stopped his assault as he watched Jak back off and cancelled one of his Eco Blades. He punched his open palm at Jak, who went flying back because of a powerful shockwave that left Bryan's hand. Bryan rushed in with another double strike and Jak jumped off the ground over Bryan. Bryan followed Jak with his eye and rushed in. Jak did a split in the air to keep his legs and punched Bryan as he landed. As Bryan stepped back, Jak rushed in and tossed his Blade into the air. Bryan's eyes followed the weapon rather than the opponent and he paid for it. Jak turned both of his hands into palm heels and inverted them so the palms were facing up. He rushed in and brought his hands into his own chest. He reached Bryan and struck, slamming the Channeler in the ribs, and probably breaking a few of them in the process. Bryan slammed backwards into a rock and went right through it. Jak caught his Eco Blade and began walking slowly towards Bryan, his hair and clothes blowing around in the wind that was picking up. Bryan picked up a dozen or so rocks with his powers. After crushing them into powder, he hurled the dust at Jak.

Jak wiped at his eyes furiously, trying to clear his vision before he was cut down by one of the most skilled opponents he had ever faced. Bryan came rushing in, eager to take advantage of his opponent's apparent weakness and received a swift kick to the chest as a reward for not thinking clearly. Jak blocked all of the incoming strikes before sliding between Bryan's feet. He flipped up and began the duel again, thinking with satisfaction of how much he was annoying Bryan. Jak once again blocked an incoming blow from below and spun the Blade so that it flew out of Bryan's hand and dissipated into the air. Bryan slashed downward frantically, but was blocked and again disarmed. He stared in shock as Jak pointed his Blade at his heart. Jak waited for Bryan to surrender and walked towards him as Bryan backed up and fell over.

Bryan struggled to sit up as Jak approached him. He scurried backwards as Jak came nearer and nearer. As Jak lowered his Blade for a strike, Bryan's body crackled with Blue Eco Lightning. Jak cursed mentally and leapt back, but not fast enough. Bryan's attack still caught him as he backed away and caused him to fly backwards. Jak bounced off the ground and circled his opponent, waiting for Bryan to begin the fight again.

As they two elves circled each other, Bryan decided to let Jak come to him. Rather than looking at Jak's body, Bryan stared straight into Jak's eyes. In his battles with the Shirhak and the Lurkers, he had noticed that elves, Shirhak and Lurkers had a instinctive tendency to open their eyes just a bit wider.

Apparently, Jak had taught himself not to do that, as he took Bryan by surprise when he lunged. Bryan, though shocked, easily brought his Eco Blade down to block the attack, and then ducked beneath a kick that the younger boy had aimed at him. Quickly, the Ascended Channeler swung his weapon at his nemesis' exposed back, only to find Jak's own Blade coming back to intercept it, forcing his towards the ground. Jak completed his rotation and caused Bryan to spin around. With a battle cry, Bryan continued spinning and attempted to backhand Jak with his forearm, a blow that Jak only just avoided.

Jak performed a back flip, and landed a good five feet away from Bryan before bringing his Yellow Eco Blade up to an attack position and glaring at his opponent. Bryan did the same, and for several moments, there was another lull in the fight while the two of them slowly circled one another, each trying to find a weakness, something that could be exploited.

This time, it would be Bryan that struck first, leaping forward and bringing his dark weapon up from below in an attack that would have cut Jak from his left hip to his right shoulder had Jak not parried. Not discouraged in the slightest, Bryan pressed his attacks, slicing to and fro as he attempted to bring his opponent down. However, Bryan's offense was quickly stolen away when Jak suddenly knocked the Blue Eco Blade up high before following through with a thrust kick to his chest that cracked a rib and sent him staggering. Unfortunately, as Jak brought his own weapon down in an attempt to hit Bryan in the head, Bryan was able to get his weapon up in time to deflect the attack. The two blades grated against each other for a few seconds, sending sparks flying as the two adversaries snarled in each others faces as they grinded their weapons into each other even harder, as if hoping theirs would simply cut through the other's. Bryan smiled inwardly as he Channeled a small amount of Blue Eco and let it heal his body.

Bryan abruptly broke the blade lock and backed away, balling up his left fist. Jak let out a curse as the Ascended Channeler sent a storm of Blue Eco Lightning at him as he furiously weaved his own Eco Blade back and forth and frantically backpedaled in an attempt to get some distance between himself and his foe.

As Jak attempted to close the distance, Bryan opened fire once more, and Jak leapt forward and to his left, performing a barrel roll type spin while in mid-leap, his topaz-lighted weapon deflecting a few bolts that came close as his foe adjusted his aim. Jak performed the maneuver yet again, trying to throw Bryan off, before a third such leap placed him back in melee range.

Bryan swung at Jak with all of his might as he tried to end the battle. Jak saw the amount of power behind the technique and opted to duck below the slash, rather than attempting to block it. The wisdom of such an action was revealed an instant later, as the Channeler continued through with his acrobatics, and brought his right foot slamming up into Bryan's face as he pushed off with his left.

Bryan felt stars explode in front of his vision as the kick, driven by Jak's considerable strength, connected. In a blind attempt to buy himself some time, he fired his blasts that traveled through the air without disturbing the air wildly in the direction of his opponent. Jak, still in the process of landing from his flip, had no time to react, and bared his teeth in defiance as a couple of the blasts connected and made him go flying back. In an attempt to remove himself from the rather precarious position that he now found himself in, Jak leapt once more, using Blue Eco to stay in the air this time and go up and over Bryan before coming down in an attempt.

Unfortunately for the elf, his foe was able to spin out of the way of an attack, and once again lashed out with his arm. On the bright side of things, Bryan's blow was made hastily, and as a result, was quite maladroit and effortless to avoid. Such a move also put the elf in a rather compromising position, something that Jak was swift in taking advantage of. Jak blocked the arm and wrapped it around his own before bringing it closer to his body. Bryan could no more move his right arm then walk on lava and remain unburned. Jak put his right leg behind Bryan's left leg and swept Bryan off his feet as he pushed on Bryan's left shoulder. Bryan went crashing down to the ground and Jak backed off as he let Bryan get back up. Both elves summoned Eco Blades and resumed the fight.

* * *

Daxter watched from the audience as his best friend expertly deflected the barrage of rocks that was sent at him, and then leapt over yet another larger blast. The Ottsel's mouth was dry, and he swallowed in a vain attempt to solve the problem, while he and Keira watched the tournament. For all his whining, Daxter wished that he could be there with Jak, as it was exciting. He hoped that Jak was able to win without his help, because Daxter usually kept an eye out when the opponent vanished so that it would be harder to sneak up on Jak.

* * *

Jak swung for Bryan's head but his attack was blocked. With lightning speed he brought his Blade over his head and switched hands before coming in on the left at his adversary's stomach, but again he was blocked. Bryan backed off an inch and stabbed, but Jak parried away his attack. Jak spun around with the parry and aimed his Blade right at Bryan's head. To his annoyance, he was blocked yet again. He came in up and to the right, yet Bryan proved to be much too quick for Jak. Bryan swiftly parried Jak's attack once more before coming twice: aiming for the left knee and then the right one. Jak was barely able to block, and he was pushed to his knees as Bryan used brute force to try to unbalance him with an overhead smash.

Bryan kneed Jak in the chest and then kicked him in the face. Jak went sprawling backwards and landed on his back. Bryan slammed his Blade down at Jak's chest but Jak grabbed Bryan's hand. Bryan's Blade got closer and closer to Jak's throat as they vied for control.

Jak suddenly spotted a weakness in Bryan's battle stance; his legs were spread apart. Jak swept Bryan off his feet and both elves quickly got to their feet. Jak shoved Bryan back and sliced at his waist again. Bryan did a whole front-flip over Jak's head and landed opposite him. Jak swung around to prevent his head from being hit. The two of them leapt back and tried to get a bearing of where to attack next.

Bryan twirled his blade before coming in for Jak's shoulder and then his arm. Both attacks were blocked, and the two of them locked blades once more as they circled each other. Jak broke free and spun around. Bryan blocked Jak's next three attempts to harm him and the two of them locked blades yet again. Jak charged up a ball of Yellow Eco and Bryan charged one up using Blue Eco. The two of them fired at the same time and the small orbs of Eco slammed against each other. The two of them pushed harder, trying to make their blast cut through the others'. Inevitably, the two balls of Eco exploded and they both went flying back.

Jak got to his feet and leapt back into the fray as Bryan made mirrored movements. Bryan spun his blade in his hand above his head a few times before swinging it at Jak. The Channeler spun his Blade to block it and spun his body around the elf. Bryan spun with Jak, never taking his eyes off his opponent. He blocked a blow that would have hit him in the head had it connected and they locked blades again. Jak sighed as Bryan attempted to out-muscle him. He spun away and began a furious series of attacks. Bryan waved his sword back and forth furiously as he blocked and leapt back a couple of feet to get some room.

Bryan brought his sword up in a horizontal slash, but Jak used a vertical block to stop it. Although he blocked the Eco Blade, Jak did not expect Bryan to grab out with his other hand and snatch his shirt. Bryan threw Jak away and Jak brought his sword down and to the left as he landed, but was deflected. Bryan pushed Jak' sword back and copied his last attack; he came down and to the left. Jak blocked and spun his sword around and came up and to the right, trying to hit Bryan's legs. Bryan blocked the attack and brought his sword up behind his head before slamming it down. Jak blocked it and they began pushing against each other, each trying to throw the other off balance.

Jak pushed his blade up, leaving Bryan temporarily defenseless, and then delivered a hard kick to Bryan's chest. Bryan went flying back, but landed on his feet, using his levitation powers to ensure that he to regain his footing and his body healing the double fist sized dent in his chest. Jak slowly walked towards Bryan and swung his sword in a vertical path going down. Bryan blocked this blow, but was caught by surprise when Jak swung his sword in the opposite direction and came up from below Bryan's line of view. Bryan's eyes widened in surprise and he leaned back to avoid the blow. The tip of Jak's Blade touched his skin, causing a small amount of pain, considering it only grazed him. If the cut had been deeper, Bryan's muscles would have been in pain because of it.

Bryan ignored the pain and brought his Blade crashing down on Jak's head as the pain from the minor wound faded. Or he would have, had Jak not once again blocked the attack. Bryan smirked as he turned his blade and came at Jak from below, only to be foiled and blocked again. Again and again Jak and Bryan went back and forth, alternating between assailing and guarding. One Blade seemed to merge and blend with the other; they were both moving so fast that the blades seemed to leave blurs in the air behind them, almost like an afterimage. Once again, Jak came up from the ground and was blocked; both of them holding their blades firmly in place as they circled each other. Bryan broke his off and did a triple strike, coming first across from the left, then across from the right, then straight down. Jak blocked all three blows with relative ease and then resumed taking the offensive. He swung his blade across, making Bryan lean back. Jak was quick to press weight on the blade in an attempt to overbear Bryan. Bryan leaned back even further and stuck his hand out. A telekinetic blast shot out, making an invisible yet perceptible shockwave travel through the air. The blast connected with Jak's chin.

Jak went soaring backwards in a graceful arc and floated a few inches above the floor and straightened himself out before landing. He quickly straightened up and stopped Bryan's next attack- another downward stroke to the left. Jak jumped about twenty feet away and landed on his feet, bent down with one hand on the ground and the other in front of his face. He rose and charged Bryan, swinging his sword in a straight thrust. Bryan quickly parried it and the two of them once again danced around each other, attacking and defending, pivoting and parrying in a desperate attempt to win.

Bryan swung his sword to the left and then disappeared in a puff of smoke. Jak heard air being cut through behind him and quickly turned around to stop the Blade that was coming for him. After his block, he moved his Eco Blade down and then back up to put Bryan off balance. Bryan recovered instantaneously and brought his sword above his head and slammed it down, before bringing it back and repeated the motion. Jak continued blocking and eventually managed to turn the tables by attacking Bryan in the same way. Bryan blocked the attack he had been using repeatedly until he had to take a step back. This one movement would prove to be his downfall, because Jak was quick to strike again and again, sending his blade crashing down over and over. Bryan tried one last attack: a downward chop with all of his strength behind it. Jak blocked and put both his hands on his hilt. He pushed back as hard as he could and forced Bryan to fall over. Bryan continued trying to defend himself as Jak's sword crashed against his continuously, but eventually Jak prevailed. He brought his sword across rather than down, and made Bryan's sword arm swing wildly out and then he brought his sword down for one final attack.

Bryan smirked as he blew Jak back with another shockwave. Jak blocked a jumping slash from Bryan and swung his sword so fast in retaliation that it appeared little more then a scythe, but the Blue Eco associated elf still managed to dodge it. Jak spun around as Bryan did a front-flip over his body. As he landed, Bryan stuck his arm out and Jak dodged to the right to avoid another telekinetic blast. Jak turned to keep Bryan in his sights as Bryan charged Jak once again. Jak evaded, sidestepped and deflected all of the oncoming attacks. Jak finally caught a break and struck aggressively at his opponent, his Blade coming in from the right on level with the Ascended Channeler's chest. Bryan's Blade flew up to intercept his strike and swatted it away. Deciding to go with that momentum, Jak did a move that he was well known for. With speed that one would not think possible, Jak completed his rotation, coming in with a relatively low angle of attack, intending to slice his adversary's feet. Unfortunately, his sword connected with little more than air, as Bryan jumped straight up and levitated for a few seconds.

Jak forced his nemesis' Blade down and away to the left before floating into the air and bringing his right foot up and smashing it into Bryan's face. Bryan staggered backwards, his nose broken, blood tainted slightly blue dripping down his face. As Jak rushed in to take advantage of this, he went into a flurry of attacks, his blade no more than a blur as it hacked, struck, and thrust. Bryan growled in frustration as Jak' combos nearly shattered his defenses. He found himself desperately blocking and evading, unable to get a strategy going beyond trying to keep himself alive. At last, Bryan caught a break and he turned the tables by striking out. Now it was Jak that was desperately blocking Bryan's furious attacks, trying to avoid getting a hit scored upon him.

But eventually Bryan made a hit, his sword slipping through Jak's raised blade to his left side all the way up to his right collar bone as Jak tried to leap back to avoid the stroke. Still, even as he hissed in pain, Jak considered himself lucky; the damage was not nearly as bad as it could have been had the blow hit home completely.

Growling, Jak leaped at his opponent, bringing his Eco Blade down from above with all his strength. Bryan called upon a technique Jak had been subjected to during his battle with Kazan. Bryan gripped his sword with two hands and held it horizontally, and succeeded in not only blocking the normal Channeler's strike, but threw him back into the air, where Jak came in for a rather impromptu landing nearly ten feet away.

Immediately, Jak rolled backwards, and flew back up to his feet, and was scarcely able to avoid being skewered, as Bryan had thrown his Blade in the ground where he had been mere moments before. As Jak got up, Bryan stuck out his real hand and his Blade flew to him by means of telekinesis. There was a downside to this move; the split second distraction Bryan experienced as he caught his Eco Blade enabled Jak to get behind him. Realizing the severity of the situation too late to correct it, Bryan felt his feet be knocked out from underneath him by the use of a sweep.

As Bryan began a trip to the ground, Jak slammed his tree bark shoe into Bryan's back hard. The blow succeeded in driving the breath from Bryan's lungs. His breathing situation did not improve at all when he hit the stone floor, nor did what follow help at all either. Jak stepped on Bryan's chest and damaged it once more. As Jak prepared to hit his opponent, Bryan dropped his Blade and threw out both his hands. Jak flew up to the ceiling and formed a shield around himself as he landed on the floor. Bryan levitated over to where Jak was and waited for him to get up.

Bryan swung right for Jak's head but his attack was blocked. Bryan swung his arms behind his back and tossed the Blade between them. With lightning speed he came in to the left at Jak's midriff, but again was blocked. Jak backed off an inch and stabbed, but his attack was parried away by his adversary. He spun around and aimed his Blade right at Bryan's head. To his annoyance, he was blocked yet again. He came in up and to the right, yet Bryan proved to be just as fast as him. He swiftly parried an incoming blow to his chest from his heart's side before coming twice: low and in opposite directions. Bryan was barely able to block Jak's ferocious assault, and he was pushed to his knees as Jak used brute force to try to unbalance him. Jak pushed down harder on Bryan, trying to drive the Ascended Channeler to his knees.

Bryan shoved Jak back and sliced at his waist again. Jak did a back-flip over Bryan's head and landing opposite him. Bryan swung around to prevent his ears from being parted with the rest of his head. The two of them leapt back and tried to get a bearing of where to attack next once more.

Bryan twirled his blade and came in for Jak's shoulder and then his arm. Both attacks were blocked, and the two of them locked blades as they circled each other. Bryan broke free and spun around. Jak blocked Bryan's next three attempts on his life and they locked blades once more. Jak charged up a ball of Yellow Eco. He slammed it into Bryan's body and it sent him flying back into the wall. Jak smiled with satisfaction as he heard a cracking sound he was fairly certain was caused by a few ribs breaking. Though they hurt, Jak knew that unless the chest was caved in, the ribs wouldn't puncture a lung or anything. Bryan got to his feet and his body glowed with an blue-light. Blue Eco swept over his body and healed the weaknesses and injuries his body had been dealt.

Bryan walked over to Jak, summoning his Eco Blade as he did so. Jak hastily erected a barrier to ward off a number of rocks. As they got to Jak' shield, they branched out everywhere and attacked from every angle. It eventually blasted through and the shield broke. Jak clenched his jaw as he was pummeled from every direction by rocks. Jak collapsed on the floor, his body sweating and shaking. As Jak healed his body, he still felt the unbelievable quantities of pain it had just been put through. Bryan raised his hand as Jak struggled to get to his feet and blew him back down with a clairvoyant blast. Jak fell backwards and Bryan walked up to him. He raised his Eco Blade and prepared to knock Jak out and finish the fight.

"Now, it ends," he said softly but not tauntingly as his blade came down. Jak had his eyes closed and a bubble formed around his body. He disappeared with a pop, leaving only a mark in the ground from the Eco Blade as a sign of where he had been an instant before.

Bryan spun his blade in his hand above his head a few times before swinging it at Jak, who had phased through the ground under cover of the bubble. Jak spun his Blade to block it and spun his body around the Ascended Channeler. Bryan spun with Jak, their eyes never leaving each other. Jak blocked a vicious blow aimed at his head and they locked blades for yet another time. Bryan snarled as they each attempted to out-muscle the other. Bryan began getting frustrated with his opponent and his body produced more of the adrenaline.

Jak swung his head back to dodge yet another strike before arching his body back so that he did not get a gash in it. He parried another strike before spreading his arms out in a deliberate "come and get me, I'm right here," statement in an attempt to bait his foe.

It worked… to say the least.

Bryan came in screaming a battle cry as he called upon every trick and technique he had in the book to try and just win this fight. Jak caught an incoming stab and got in close with his opponent. The two of them bared their teeth and snarled at each other as they circled on the spot, each one grabbing and being grabbed at the same time. Finally they broke apart and Jak shoved Bryan back. The two of them raised their Blades over their heads before restarting the duel. As they fought, they rotated on the spot so that they switched positions.

Jak struck forward, causing Bryan to back-flip onto an section of the earth sticking out of the floor before jumping off to the side. As he looked back, Bryan was glad that he had, as there were three slashes that were still glowing, indicating that they hadn't cooled off yet. Bryan stepped forward and his foot slipped. Jak saw the mistake and tried to make it the one that would end the duel but alas, it was not meant to be.

Bryan simply got down on his knees and leaned back. Even so, Jak's Blade came within an inch of his nose as it swept across where his chest had been only seconds before. The two of them exchanged even more blows before Jak managed to punch Bryan in the face. Bryan stepped back and blinked furiously as he tried to clear his eyes from the tears that formed when his nose broke. Jak unleashed a furious assault on Bryan Caulfield, causing the elf to back up. Still, Jak pressed on, his legendary determination and power causing Bryan to have to continue to back up. Bryan growled in frustration at Jak and launched another Blue Eco Lightning blast at him. Jak changed the angle on his Blade and the lightning rebounded upon Bryan. Although Bryan had not fired a strong blast, it was enough to paralyze him. As Bryan's body froze, Jak pointed his Blade down at Bryan once again. Bryan teleported out of the way and reappeared on the other part of the arena floor. He used his powers to rip a piece of the earth out and threw it at Jak. Jak ran at Bryan, phasing through the rocks.

Bryan hastily blasted a Blue Eco beam at Jak. Jak stuck his hands out and fired a beam of Yellow Eco. The two beams collided and the Channelers began a power struggle. The two of them screwed up their faces in concentration as they attempted to get closer. Jak closed his eyes under the strain and Bryan pressed forward, believing the advantage to be his. Jak opened his eyes and Bryan saw them burning with the determination to win. Suddenly, the force of the beams hitting each other caused a backlash effect. Jak and Bryan were both hurled backwards and hit a wall on opposite ends of the stadium

Jak cracked his knuckles and neck at the same time while Bryan mimicked his movements. He flipped on his Red and Blue Eco Boxes and began fighting with hand to hand combat with Bryan. The two of them exchanged blows so fast that to the untrained eye it would appear as if they were merely flailing their limbs around in a haphazard way. The two of them punched at the same time and bent in before pushing off. Jak ran in and performed a spinning back side kick. Bryan caught Jak's foot and twisted it. Jak went down and Bryan began twisting Jak's knee. Jak brought his other leg back and planted it into Bryan's chest. The Ascended Channeler stumbled back before bringing a large rock into his hand. Jak covered two balls of Yellow Eco and noted that it appeared that the fight had turned from a swordfight to a fight that relied on Channeling abilities.

Jak made the first move, diving off to his right while firing small Yellow Eco pellets all the time. Bryan leapt in the opposite direction, moving with speed and agility to rival Jak's. He came up shooting his own blasts, his projectiles spitting rapid three shot bursts at the powerful elf. The Channeler could feel the wind as the rocks sped by, moving so fast that they appeared as little more than blurs, coming within inches of making contact, and was forced to quickly reconsider his estimation of Bryan's aiming capabilities.

On the other hand, this was not to say that Jak was in any way inferior to his opponent. The Channeler proved this by performing a super-elfin leap, completely leaving Bryan's field of view, and getting off no less than four bursts. The shots hit home and Jak grinned as Bryan keeled over. When Bryan stood back up, there were new holes in his shirt, but Jak had made the blasts far too weak to penetrate the skin. The older elf retaliated with several bursts of his own once he had lined Jak back up in his sights, and while Jak was able to harness his Blue Eco enhanced agility to dodge most of the projectiles or use his forearm armor to dissipate them altogether, Bryan did succeed in bringing several rocks dangerously close to Jak's face. The Channeler fired as he leapt again, but as it was before, the shots connected, but did nothing to his foe.

Realizing that he needed to hit Bryan with something stronger if he wanted to damage him, Jak quickly took cover behind a three foot high raised portion of the ground while he waited. The elf waited as he charged up a beam of sufficient power, his ears becoming his eyes. As his muscles tensed, Jak waited for anything that would betray where Bryan was. Then, he heard the slight 'thump' as a foot moved through dirt and dust. In an instant, he had sprang up and unleashed the charged up bolt.

Bryan's eyes widened to roughly the size of Flut-Flut eggs as he saw the small yellow meteor come sailing in towards him. He jumped to the side, but due to Jak's ingenuity, still had some of his facial hair scorched off and felt a pain shot along the side of his head as bits of heated stone pelted his face. Still, Bryan counted his blessings when he looked behind him and discovered an two-inch crater where the blast had hit.

Jak was quick to take advantage of the distraction, putting another huge blast dead on a collision course with his enemy. Too late, Bryan realized the error of concentrating on other things, and was blown off his feet as the comet connected with his upper body. He skidded for a small ways, finally coming to a stop perilously close to the edge of a crater. He teetered on the edge and nearly fell in, but flew up and landed on firm ground after a second.

Bryan fired a large rock and as he expected, Jak dove away and to the right, trying to get far enough away so that he was out of range. Realizing it would probably take far more to take his opponent than he had originally expected, the Ascended Channeler used his powers to fire shockwaves at Jak with reckless abandon, and Jak felt more pain work its way through him. The pain was from a variety of things; either the wind caused bits of dirt and stone to cut him, or the speed of the wind caused air to escape from the fresh cuts. Both were exceptionally painful, but Jak thought the wind escaping from his body was the most painful.

By this time, Bryan was beginning to lose patience due to the sheer stubbornness of his opponent. He lashed out with a vicious roundhouse kick, hitting Jak with enough force to send him right into the floor. Jak skidded along the floor and did a reverse somersault to land on his feet. Bryan stormed after him and threw another wild punch. Jak caught it and blocked to the inside, allowing him to score a few hits on Bryan's ribs. Bryan spun around and elbowed Jak in the face. The two of them charged up their hands with Eco, Bryan using Blue, and Jak using Yellow and Red in one hand each. They threw one punch each and caught the other's hand with their free hand. They began to try to out muscle each other, but seemed perfectly equal in power. Streams of Eco danced around the room, gouging pieces of earth out and ripping the small part of the arena that was still smooth apart.

Both of them backed off before they caused another explosion and Jak jumped over a large rock thrown at him. The second rock hit him right in the chest and Jak went down. As Bryan rushed in, Jak kicked him in the stomach and got to his feet. Once again, the two Channelers circled each other in their fighting stances and tried to find a weakness in the others defense. As they fought, they unconsciously rose into the air until they were fighting on level with the highest seats. Bryan forced Jak back as he landed on the ground and waited for Jak. The two of them landed in a crater that was about five feet in diameter. The sparring became furiously fast-paced as the two Channelers gave it their all in their attempt to simply incapacitate each other.

Jak and Bryan each charged up another Eco Bomb and tried to make their cut through the others'. As before, they both exploded simultaneously and launched the two elves back. Jak and Bryan each regained their footing and the battle continued. Jak kicked Bryan away after wrestling for a few minutes. The two Channelers charged each other, ready to call upon the vast range of Channeling abilities they had at their disposal to win the fight. Jak dodged to the right to avoid Bryan's punch. Normally, Jak would not have worried about a single punch, expect for the fact that he was already weakened. What worried him was how Bryan had wrapped Blue Eco around his real hand to not only enhance the damage inflicted, but would also make Jak go flying back if hit.

The two separated again after some minutes of exchanging blows, and another lull in the fighting took place, with both combatants simply moving about in a circle, each one formulating their next move as they floated back down to the earth. About three seconds passed before they were at each other's throats yet again, Bryan blasting himself forward, willing himself to move as fast as he possibly could as he angled an Eco Blade straight for where Jak's heart was located. However, it was not destined to be the final blow of the fight, as the other Channeler's own razor fast movements with a Yellow Eco staff forced him to take a detour, or suffer from some rather painful consequences. Instead, the Blue Eco harnessing elf opted for a different attack, twirling as he dodged to the right in midair and diving underneath the offensive assault that Jak threw at him.

Bryan flew up to Jak, who had taken to the skies a minute before, much faster than he had moved so far. As they dueled in the air for a couple of minutes, Jak realized just how battered and tired his body was getting. He threw a Yellow Eco spear at Bryan's face. Bryan put his hand up at the last possible moment, deflecting the attack. Bryan charged up an attack of his own, before letting it fly. Jak flew down out of the way, and twisted to his right side as a pair of Blue Eco rays blew by him, singing his hair. Both combatants looked at each, hoping to end the fight soon as they formulated strategies. As the crowd roared, they decided to rush each other in the hope that it would catch the other off guard.

They were at each other's throats again within seconds.

Their battle was as awesome as ever as it raged on, carrying both up into the sky once more after a time. However, before they had been at it for too much longer, Jak had knocked Bryan back down to the ground. The Ascended Channeler raised himself up onto his hands and knees as he healed the internal bruises and hemorrhaging that he had sustained once more. Jak landed across the arena at Bryan and both of them charged up their powers.

They faced each other and charged up what they both understood would be the final attack. The very air seemed to vibrate as each of them unleashed an enormous beam of Blue and Yellow Eco. The beams collided in the middle and they began vying to win the struggle. The two beams pushed back and forth, gaining and losing a little.

Bryan began to groan as they reached the two minute point. He widened his hands and a stream of Blue Eco Lightning broke off of the main beam. Jak hastily erected a shield of flames and began mixing Red Eco into his beam. His power finally overrode Bryan's and hit the Ascended Channeler. Bryan's shirt was obliterated, as was most of his pants, as he was slammed against the wall. He looked up at Jak, who was gasping for breath. Bryan saw how Jak had saved the world: he simply refused to give up. He stood up and walked over to Jak, his hands held above his head to show that he meant no harm.

"Good match Jak. You win," he said as he raised his voice. "I have been beaten. I surrender!"

"And the winner of The Clash of the Channelers is JAK HAGIA!" The resulting explosion of applause was so loud that Jak wondered if Gol and Maia heard it sealed in the Silos.

Jak grinned as he held his hand up in triumph. All the other Channelers joined him on the arena and they all bowed.

"Let's hear it for all of them!" Hatu said as each Channeler bowed. "Bryan Caulfield, Jak Hagia, Lauren Handy, Cara Taracava, Veston Droit, Elizabeth Cyan, Andrew Gause, Meredith Bennett, Tiffany Buffamonte, Ferrid Schuble, Harrison Crisci, Julia Manuel, Margaret Riddle, Richard Bennett, Emma Juliano, and Retep Juliano!"

As the crowd cheered for all of them, Jak saw Keira beaming at him, her face standing out among all the others…

Hours later, Jak and Keira were to be found together, their arms wrapped around the other. They had been discussing plans to finish the Rift Rider and leave. Keira had decided on the first of July. Jak agreed and they had just leaned up against each other. When Jak had been about to leave, Keira asked him to stay for a while longer and they had just gone to Keira's bed. Jak had held Keira close to him and let her put her head against his chest as they closed their eyes and relaxed, slipping off to sleep. Jak sighed in his sleep, his arms tightening against Keira's exposed stomach as one dream ended and another began.

* * *

Well, here it is. Thirty four pages, six days, and twenty four thousand, four hundred seventy nine words. Hope it was worth reading. I would like to apologize about the rather scattered reading in the first four rounds: I was trying to show how scattered and hectic it was. I hope it was good, and I also hope that I didn't abuse anyone too much or not enough. With luck, I'll be able to get the next chapter out tomorrow. It's really not much, just an explanation about what happens when the group splits up. I put a bit of a cliffhanger, but only for those who haven't played the games. So, not really a cliffhanger.

* * *

Quote of the week- Me

Rule #21 of Life (Inspired by Nietzsche): He who has a "why" to live can endure almost any "how."


	53. Epilogue: New Horizons

To those who reviewed:

CrazyOttsel- Thanks very much. Yeah, that chapter took me two days longer than I thought it would. Sorry I couldn't make it longer- I decided to cut a third of the final fight out to get it up. Thanks for letting me know about Jak's last name-I'll be sure to spell it correctly in the future.

Red Mage 04- Yes, this one was long. I hope I never have to write something so long again. Except for Jak's battle with Kor. Thank you for the compliment, and I'm glad the craziness of the fights were conveyed. I hope to have the sequel out in a few weeks, as I have to put the finishing touches on the plot overview and decide whether to post the Zelda fic I've been working on.

Silver-WindScar- Thank you for the compliment on this chapter, since I cut about a third of the final fight between Jak and Bryan out. CHEESE! Er, just forget I said that. Rule #21 is simple. Someone who has a reason to live will continue to do so even under the harshest conditions. For example, Jak endured prison life because he had a reason: he wanted to see Keira, Samos and Daxter. And kill Errol and the Baron. Look for the final chapter to go up sometime tomorrow, hopefully in the afternoon. I need an advisor on a plot I am thinking of for an Ocarina of Time story. If its not too much trouble, could I email it to you?

Kickflip56- Er, I don't know. I'm pleased to see you think so highly of my work, mediocre though it is. I do intend to make a sequel, though I shall be changing it around to what I think it should have been. I already butchered the first game, so I ay as well make it a complete set.

GoodMorningBeautiful2005- Glad you liked this chapter, but it isn't the end. Things have been a bit hectic at home, so the final chapter won't be up until the end of the month. And then I'll take a couple of weeks off to plan ahead for my next couple of fics.

Disclaimer- I own nothing, save what my insane shattered mind has cooked up.

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Epilogue: New Horizons 

"For every age, there is a time of trial. The rocks faced such a fire before they were the strength beneath our feet. The plants braved vast winds before their roots could give us life. As a Sage of considerable years, I have known only one such great ordeal. But the heroes it created will be champions for all time!" Samos said to finish his speech. Everyone cheered for the sixteen Channelers as they left the stadium and prepared to go their separate ways.

Later, Jak, Keira, Bryan and Lauren stood in the center of Sandover, bidding farewell to their friends. They kept in mind that this might be the last time that they saw everyone. Keira had finished the Rift Rider yesterday and everyone had come back to see Jak, Samos, Keira and Daxter before they left. Jak shook hands one last time and gave a hug to Margaret, who was setting off with Veston, Cara and Retep for Brigands Bastion. Cara was going to overthrow Nicolae and take her rightful place on the throne. Retep had been reluctant to join them at first but eventually caved, realizing that he would be apart from Cara for a long time. No Warp Gates were on Brigands Bastion, something that the Sages were planning on changing. After the goodbyes, everyone went their separate ways. The Warp Gates had been removed from the houses of the Sages and were now open to the public. Jak waved goodbye as, one by one, his friends left through the Warp Gates.

* * *

Andrew and Tiffany stepped out of the Warp Gate in Santar's lab. They looked with pride at Volcanic Crater, their home. The arena where Jak had once trained Benedict and battled Santar was still being reconstructed, but the town had decided to change it into a town square of sorts. A court for basketball, a table for chess, checkers and other such games, and an obstacle course had been set up, with other places in mind as well. As a wedding gift, Andrew's parents had built a stable and small ranch for Tiffany and Andrew to live in in one of the roomier sections of Mountain Pass. They had built the house after Tiffany's parents (who had been thrilled to discover at the tournament their daughter was still alive) had bought the land and fixed it up. Tiffany and Andrew had decided to live off the land while finding and raising horses. 

"We still have a lot of work to do, don't we," Tiffany said softly as they looked at their hometown.

"Yeah, but whatever the future brings, we'll face it. Together," he added as he kissed her. They leaned against each other as they walked to their home, looking forward to the future…

* * *

Liz stepped out of the Warp Gate with her father and waited for Ferrid. "I still don't see why we're doing this…" he grumbled as he stepped out of the Warp Gate. Liz rolled her eyes, knowing that he knew perfectly why. 

"Because I want to live here and you want to live in Wasteland Metropolis. We're going back to your place next week."

"How did you get me to agree to this?" Ferrid grumbled with a smile on his face. Despite his complaining, he was looking forward to living in a new village, at least half of the time. It had been decided between Zeorro and his parents that every week, they would travel back and forth between Rock Village and Wasteland Metropolis. While staying with Zeorro, Ferrid would sleep in the garage, which was fashioned like a small home, since that was where Zeorro did his experiments. Often, the Blue Sage would work into the night and the dawn, which was why he had put a bed, refrigerator, and bathroom in there. While Liz was in Wasteland Metropolis, however, she would be staying with Ferrid's sister, who had an apartment big enough for two people to stay comfortably.

"Come on; let's go racing in the Basin!" Liz said as she dragged Ferrid with her. He smiled and ran with her. Zeorro smiled as he watched them. He sighed before going to the garage where Ferrid would be staying. He had work to do, and was looking forward to completing a new machine that would not run off Eco. He smiled, wondering what kind of golden high-tech age he might be responsible for creating.

* * *

Richard and Meredith entered their house in Wasteland Metropolis. It was above the dojo they had opened up. Samos had urged them to pass their talents on to the young, saying that there might well come a time when every able bodied elf and Lurker would need to fight, and would have an enormous advantage of being able to defend themselves up close. Richard sighed and stretched out on the couch, only to be slapped by Meredith. 

"Get up; your class starts in ten minutes!" Richard groaned but rolled off the couch and changed into a uniform. He went downstairs and looked at the young eager faces in front of him. He smiled, thinking that perhaps he would enjoy teaching.

* * *

Julia walked out of the Warp Gate in Pampas Islet and looked around. It would be quieter around with Margaret going south with the pirates and Retep. Still, there were compensations, she thought to herself as she walked into her home. She was shocked when she turned on the lights and her family, hr boyfriend, and his family shouted surprise. 

"Wha- what's the occasion?" she asked, surprised by the chorus of singing.

"Come on now? Did you really forget your own birthday?" her boyfriend asked as he embraced her. Julia grinned as she remembered the date and kissed him.

"Guess I did. Where would I be without you Tom?" she asked.

"I don't want to know. Come on, blow out your cake," he said as he led her to a table. "Don't forget to make a wish," he added as she took a deep breath. Julia thought to herself and smiled as she realized what she wanted to come true.

* * *

"You're sure you don't mind moving here?" Emma asked Harrison as he crawled out of the Warp Gate. 

"Yes," the giant said as he stood up and stretched. "I've been living with Ferrid for the past year, and I can still go and visit him," he said as he walked down the road to Emma's shop. Retep had signed it completely over to her, since he was going south to Brigands Bastion. She smiled as he began moving furniture in the apartment around to better suit their needs as she went downstairs and heard the tinkling of a bell.

"Welcome to Emma's Exceptional Equipment. How can I help you?" she asked with a smile as she looked at the customer.

* * *

Jak went to go visit a small patch of ground that had been dug up recently. He stared at the place where an elf was buried and looked at the epitaph in his hands. He put the large stone on the ground and smiled as he read it. 

"Here lies Benedict Riddle: A Channeler of Ecos; a true friend."

* * *

Two weeks later…

* * *

Cara sighed as she sat down on the throne and looked at Retep. They were scheduled to be married next week. Neither thought they were ready, but Cara needed to follow the laws of her people and marry within a month of taking the throne. Better Retep than some guy who wanted the throne. Retep had publicly declared that he would not go any higher than a trusted advisor when it came to power, and that if Cara died before they had children, the throne would pass to someone else. He had no desire for the responsibilities and was more than happy to help Cara. Veston and Margaret walked in to let them know the fleet was up and running and the trade route was established. 

"Funny innit, we did more in two weeks than Nicolae did in a couple of months," Margaret said as she sat down. All of them nodded, remembering the battle with Nicolae, who had sold his soul to the Shirhak in exchange for power. "Still, plenty to look forward to, eh?" she added, and once again everyone smiled and nodded. The future was looking bright indeed.

* * *

"Jak, I talked with Daddy, and he said you're staying here tonight," Keira said as she forced him on a couch. Jak shrugged and laid back. Let Daxter spread the gossip: who knew how long their journey into the Rift Ring tomorrow would take. He fell asleep with Keira wrapped in his arms, looking forward to the future.

* * *

Meanwhile… 

In another place…

"Sir, tomorrow is the day of prophecy," a man with bright orange hair said as he bowed before his ruler.

"Up the patrols. If the rumors are true, I want the elf captured."

"Do you think she spoke true?"

"I do not know. She merely said that tomorrow an elf that would be able to save our city would arrive, and she has never given me reason to doubt her in the past."

"Yes sir," the man said as a demonic flash lit his eyes. How dare the old hag think that there was someone more skilled than _him_, that there might be another who would stand a better chance than him of facing the most powerful being on the planet.

"Mark my words, I'll find you," the man said after he had been dismissed. "And when I do, you'll wish you had never been born."

* * *

Sorry this took so long, but I had serious family troubles. I'd rather not go into details, but I did notice something. I give you the last chapter of this story on the last day of the month. I'll be taking a couple of weeks off to finalize the plot forKnight of Darknessand decide if I will start a Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time fanfiction. I've decided on a name, finally. It called A Champion of Ages: A Hero of Times. If you can think of a name, just know that it will be a lot like this story: a novelization with a few twists and turns in it. I thank everyone who has given me support, and I hope you all have a happy Fourth of July! See you around.

* * *

Quote of the week- Me 

Rule #22 of Life: Every end is also a beginning


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